Cracked, Broken, But Not Defeated
by mellarkarry
Summary: Tears are threatening to pour down the gruff man's face but he swears that he won't break down now, not when Effie needs him the most. He can almost see the life fading from her eyes. Haymitch and Effie post- Mockingjay.
1. Chapter 1: Lost and Found

**HEY GUYS! This is a story about Hayffie after the war. My friend (jojo167) and I () are writing this story together. Hope you enjoy!**

"Split up and see if there are anymore rebels around here," says the man with the dirty blonde hair and scruffy suit.

The guards nod and head off in different directions, leaving the man with a fellow guard. He scouts down the left corridor and is just about to turn into the other hallway when he hears a weak cough.

He stops in his tracks and heads back to where the voice came from. He peaks into the cell and sees someone completely unexpected.

"Effie?" asks the man with disbelief in his voice.

The woman stares at him with hollow eyes. She's sitting in the corner of the cell, curled up with a torn blanket. What used to be golden, silky hair is now frizzy and charred. Her cheekbones are sharp and she has lost a remarkable amount of weight.

"Princess, let's bring you home."

The man motions for the guard to pry the lock off. When the doors swing open, the man rushes in and carefully picks the woman up. She wraps her arms around his neck and lays her head on his chest. She notices the faint smell of alcohol still lingers on his clothes, but she finds comfort in them.

The man jogs as fast as he can without hurting her. They hurry to the hovercraft and he gently places her on a mattress. He reaches for her hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

"You came back for me," the woman says softly.

The man chuckles and rubs his thumb over her hand. "Of course I came back for you, princess. Life just isn't the same without you."

She laughs softly but ends up having a coughing fit. The man hands her a glass of water and she takes tiny sips of it.

She nods her head as she stares into his umber eyes. A shiver runs down his spine, but it's a good shiver; the kind that makes you smile. "Thanks, Haymitch. You didn't have to save me; you could've left me to die there, but you didn't," she says.

Haymitch smiles and says gently, "I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I left you there, knowing I could've saved you. Guilt can do so much to a person."

She nods and looks down at their hands, which are still intertwined. She looks up at him with her big cyan eyes. "Are Cinna and Portia alive?"

Just the sound of those names sends a pang to his heart. His face falls and the woman notices the forlorn look on his face and the wrinkles that appear on his forehead.

"They're gone, aren't they?" says the woman quietly.

The man nods in reply and bites his lip to stop the tears from falling. He takes a deep breath and exhales.

"What about the prep teams?" she asks again.

"Cinna's prep team are still alive. But Portia's aren't. They were killed alongside with Portia," he replies sadly.

The woman nods. "Poor things. They were innocent; they didn't know anything, did they?"

Haymitch shook his head. "I couldn't risk it. It was too dangerous. But they're dead, either way. I feel like I could've done something to save them, maybe something I could've saved to stop Snow from killing them-"

"No, Haymitch," the blonde interrupts fiercely. "Their deaths were inevitable. Nothing we should and could have done would've helped them. We should just accept their fate and move on, but never forget the beautiful memories they've given us. You hear?" she says with a firm tone.

The man smiles and places a kiss on her hand. "Thanks you, Princess. I needed to hear that."

Tears are threatening to pour down the gruff man's face but he swears that he won't break down now, not when Effie needs him the most. He can almost see the life fading from her eyes. Effie tries her best to smile but through the mask she's putting on, Haymitch can still see the pain and sadness in her eyes. His eyes blur for a second but he quickly gains his composure.

"You must be tired. Why don't you have some rest?" Haymitch whispers. She gives him a slight nod and she closes her eyes. A tear slips out of her eyes but he quickly wipes it off. "Shh… Don't cry, I promise that everything's going to be alright…"

Her breathing becomes steady; he knows that she's asleep. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't try harder. I'm sorry I didn't do anything. I'm sorry I couldn't be sober enough to save you. I'm sorry about everything…" He murmurs. Haymitch collapses onto the plush couch. He should be happy shouldn't he? They've beat President Snow and saved all the Districts but why does he still feel so unsatisfied and empty?

He knows that he's saved countless lives but he's also let countless people die. He had already lost everything when President Snow was in power; he could deal with that. He could drink away his sorrows and block out all the pain but he can't walk away from his failures no matter how hard he tries. He can't bear the burden of all the people's deaths. Even after all this hard work, it wasn't good enough. He could have done something but all he did was watch his comrades fall down one by one…

He still remembers a time when things were so much simpler, where his young mind couldn't comprehend what was really going on. He didn't need to worry about being reaped, he didn't need to worry about losing anyone and he didn't need to worry about protecting his loved ones but of course things are never as simple as that. People die everyday, people cry, people lose it, is there anything you can do about it? Yes. But how often do you see people standing up and helping the fallen up? Never.

At first, after Snow stole everything away from him, he tried to pick up the remaining pieces and glue it back together but every time he tried, the more hurt he would get. Eventually, he just stopped trying and left the past behind. He remembered how his mother always told him that sometimes things aren't so simple but he must always remember who he is and not who other people want him to be. He never understood his mother until now. Sometimes you just need to stop being a puppet and cut the strings yourself, too bad she was right… Things just aren't that simple.

He thinks about all the people he lost and the people he still has. His mother, his father, Maysilee, his friends, all dead… Katniss, Peeta and Effie is all he has left. If he lets them slip out of his fingers like sand, he won't be able to live with himself.

He strokes Effie's hollow but soft cheeks. Her body may be there but he knows that it's only the shell of the old Effie. She might never be the perky, happy woman she was but Haymitch swears that he'll do anything for her. He caresses her hair while lightly planting his lips on her cheek.

"Effie I'm sorry I didn't come for you earlier." He finally lets a tear roll down his rugged cheek knowing that Effie is asleep and won't see him break down. He knows that she's someone he will make sure he will never let go.

**Well, how did you like it? Both of us will be alternating between Haymitch and Effie's POV. Also check out our stories:**  
**jojo167- Incurable Love (CatoxKatniss) and True starcrossed lovers (Clato)**  
**Me- The Spark (CinnaxPortia) and Silent Screams (Lavinia's story)**

**REVIEW, FAVOURITE AND ALERT ;)**


	2. Chapter 2: A Walk Down Memory Lane

**HEY GUYS! The response for this story has been great, so here's chapter 2. Enjoy!**

_**Effie's POV.**_

"_Who would've known Effie Trinket, Capitol citizen and escort of District 12, was part of the rebellion?" _

_President Snow circles around me, hissing angrily every now and then. I'm hyperventilating from fear and nervousness. I'm strapped down to a metal chair and my feet are chained to the floor. _

_There is a Peacekeeper in front of me with a remote in his hand. _

"_Tell me, Effie. What other ideas does that traitor Plutarch have in his thick skull?" Snow asks with his face inches from mine. His eyes are raging with anger and his ears are bright red._

_I bite my lip and answer as firmly as I can, "How would I know? He kept me in the dark. He didn't want me to get hurt. But I know that he's going to do whatever it takes to bring you down."_

_Snow growls furiously and turns to face the Peacekeeper. "Press it."_

_A shock of electricity shoots through me and I scream. Tears are gathering at my eyelids, but I daren't let them fall in front of Snow._

"_Why scream when nobody is going to come to help you? That dim- witted drunk, Haymitch Abernathy won't come and save his damsel in distress. I know he won't. So, either you help me out here and I might consider letting you go, or you'll have a long hour of torment ahead of you."_

_I shake my head. "I'd rather die than give in to you."_

_The Peacekeeper doesn't need to be told to press the button. This time, it seems like the voltage has been turned on higher and I scream until my throat is raw. My muscles are tense but I'm shaking violently from the electricity. I can't stop the steady stream of tears that are pouring down my face._

"_Tell me everything you know about this, Effie. I don't want to hurt you. You know I don't. But if you don't work with me, you'll suffer the same fate as those stylists from District 12. They liked playing with fire, didn't they? You want to know how I killed them? Do you, Effie? I burned them. I _burned_ them. I'm sure it was an agonizing death, but I will kill whoever gets in my way and doesn't give me the answers I want. I'm going to ask one last time, Effie. What. Do. You. Know. About. The. Rebellion."_

_I shut my eyes as I spit out, "Nothing that you should know."_

_I black out as I feel the electricity take over my unconscious body._

"Effie! Effie! Wake up!"

**Haymitch's P.O.V:**

_I see Snow's twisted smile as he snatches Effie away from me. I scrabble to get her back but she doesn't respond. I push against numerous Peacekeepers while screaming her name but I can't get through. All I can hear are her wracking sobs. _

"_Why don't you just abandon her and drink away your failures like you always do Haymitch?" Snow growls. He throws me a bottle filled with alcohol. I hurl it onto the floor._

"_I don't want this! I will never drink again if I lose another person in my life!" Peacekeepers rip me away and toss Effie into a room as if she's an object. I can only listen hopelessly to her heart wrenching screams. What could be going on in that room? How much pain is she going through? I want to save her but I can't. My feet are glued onto the floor and however hard I try to walk to the mahogany door, my feet won't move._

"_Haymitch, save me! Don't leave me behind! Please!" I hear her bawl._

"_You should have just left everyone alone. You should have just played by the rules Haymitch but you didn't and now look at where you are." Snow sneers._

"_Let her go! Take me instead! Kill me!"_

"_Oh, I will. I just want you to have the pleasure to hear her scream before I get to you." _

Suddenly, a shriek wakes me up from my nightmare. It's Effie.

"Effie! Effie! Wake up!" I scream. I hate seeing her like this. I wrap my arms around her as she trembles with fear and tears well up in her eyes.

"Effie, it's okay. I'm right here."

"It.. It…was…terrible. I…I…"

"It's fine, you don't need to talk about it if you don't want to." She keeps gasping for air as she cries so all she can do is give me a weak nod. I will never _fully_ understand the pain she had gone through. What has she ever done to the world that made her go through all of that torture?

I stroke her back trying to stop her from quivering but she suddenly winces while letting out a yelp of pain.

"Effie? Are you okay?" My hands trace back to her neck and I see a purple bruise sprouting from under her skin.

"Effie! Why didn't you tell me?" She doesn't say anything; instead she continues to sob. I rummage through the empty bottles in my cabinet and finally find a small jar of cream. I spread it over her bruise and I hear her let out a small sigh.

"Do you have any other bruises?" She nods and points at her thigh. I see another black bruise the size of a plum. I spread the soothing cream over her soft skin. She's finally calmed down a bit.

"Haymitch, please don't leave me."

"I won't, I never will."

"Promise me."

"I promise you I'll never leave you."

Why did I have to play with my own rules though? No one would have died because of me. Effie wouldn't have had to go through all that torture. I'd still have Maysilee, my family, my friends everyone… Thinking of Maysilee only sends a shoot of pain through my heart. She was my only good friend and the only person who understood me. I still remember the first day I met her…

_The rain is pounding onto my back. I guess God wanted the rain to symbolize how I felt inside; gloom, fear and sadness. My hair and clothes are completely soaked. I keep my head down in order not to get the rain into me eyes. Although I'm only 8, I've gone through enough of my parent's fights until I can't take it anymore. _

_This isn't the first time but this time the argument is bad, really bad. I fight the tears that are threatening to burst out of my eyes. I keep running and running just trying to get away from all of these complications. I had always thought that we were a happy family but I was wrong. My mother and father were set up by their parents and were forced to get married. Suddenly, I hear a small voice._

"_Haymitch, is that you?" My head twists around while I try to regain my composure. "Are you okay?" _

"_I'm… I'm… I'm… fine." I stutter. She doesn't say anything and just hands me her umbrella._

"_I don't need it. Besides, it's your umbrella and I'm not your charity case!" Hurt flickers in her eyes and I feel guilty. "I mean, you're going to catch a cold."_

"_It's fine. It looks like you need it more than I do. So why the long face?" I'm not sure whether to trust this girl or not. Even though she looks like she's about my age and honestly her face screams out the words innocent and sweet, I don't know if I can share this type of stuff with a girl I don't even know. But, whom else have I got who would listen?_

"_My parents are fighting again. They're supposed to be in love, not act like they are arch enemies!" I yell out frustratingly. I'm taken aback when she suddenly wraps her soft arms around me._

"_It's okay. I'm sure that it'll be fine after a while. My parents fight all the time but they'll always love each other no matter what." I don't struggle from her embrace but instead it makes me feel safe. I feel like her arms are somehow warding away all the anger and pain._

_After that day we became good friends and always had each other's backs. We went to the same school and maintained our friendship. She was the only person who I felt I could trust. She made me feel complete. Every time my parents fought, she would make me smile and comfort me. My heart was in shambles and she took the time to glue the remaining pieces together. _

"_Haymitch! Haymitch! Where are you?" She calls. I stay hidden behind an old shed._

"_Haymitch! Please talk to me!" I don't want to talk to her. She doesn't understand. My parents are getting a divorce. I didn't know they hated each other that much. Am I not enough for them to just keep it together? Am I not enough to stop all the anger and hate they feel for each other?_

"_Haymitch, don't think for a second that I wouldn't care and that I won't try to understand. And please don't think that you weren't enough. You're strong enough to get through this. Just because you aren't enough for them to stay together, you're enough for me. Shouldn't that count for something?" I shed a tear and finally come out of hiding. She pulls me into a tight hug. Even after the countless hugs we've had, I would never get tired of the feeling of her arms around me._

"_Thanks Maysilee. I needed that."_

I snap out of my stupor. Stupid memories. Why can't I just let it go? Like she said, she believes that I'm strong enough to get through life on my own. I dig through the drawers until I find a fresh bottle of liquor. I unscrew the bottle and take a big swig. Why should I stay sober if I've got nothing left to live for?

"Haymitch, put the bottle down," says Effie sternly.

I forgot she was there. I grunt as I take one sip of liquor and feel the burning sensation fill my body.

"Princess, I haven't had a drink for weeks. I think I deserve one right now," I say as a take a swig from the bottle.

"Haymitch Abernathy, don't make me come out of my bed to pry that bottle out of your fingers," threatens Effie.

I scowl and oblige, but not before taking another swig. I put it back in the cupboard and sit back down on the couch. Effie creases her eyebrows and sighs.

"When will you stop drinking, Haymitch?"

I shrug as I say, "I don't know."

"Am I not enough for you to stop? Are Katniss and Peeta not enough?" asks Effie.

She found my soft spot. I sigh frustratingly as I run my fingers through my messy hair.

Effie softens and says, "It's not good for you, Haymitch. It's going to be a hard habit to break, but I believe you can do it. You'll have me to help you."

I let out a small smile and take her hand in mine and squeeze it gently.

She smiles as she says, "Speaking of Katniss and Peeta, how are they?"

My shoulders sag as I think about them.

"Well, Katniss shot Coin. Coin died. Katniss is in trial while Paylor and the others make a decision about who will be the next president and whether Katniss is mentally stable enough to go back to District 12. She's been trying to kill herself lately. But yesterday, she spent the whole day singing. Just singing. So they think that she'll be let out soon," I explain to Effie.

"Oh, poor Katniss. I hope she's alright. What about Peeta?"

"He's having therapy sessions with Doctor Aurelius and hasn't been allowed to be in contact with Katniss. He's getting much, much better."

Effie smiles at the news. "There's hope for everybody, Haymitch."

I chuckle as I say, "I haven't had any for the past 25 years, Effie."

Effie tilts her head slightly and says softly, "I think it's time you found some."

**HOPE YOU LIKED IT (: We'll be uploading the next chapter soon, so keep your eyes open! Don't forget to review, favourite, alert and check out our stories!**


	3. Chapter 3: Unsaid Goodbyes

**Hey again! I'd just like to thank you to all our reviewers and for the alerts and favourites! It makes us both very happy (: On with Chapter 3!**

_**Haymitch's POV.**_

Katniss comes out of trial today. After a few discussions, Paylor, our new president, has decided that Katniss is of no threat and mentally stable enough to go back to District 12.

She also wants to make sure that not too many people will go back with her, but only ones like Thom and Delly. She said that I'll have to escort Katniss back. Peeta won't be coming. Doctor Aurelius wants to spend a little more time with him before he can ensure that Peeta can control his episodes. Cassia isn't going back. Shame on her; I know she lost Prim and Noah, but can't she at least be strong for Katniss?

"_Haymitch, you know I can't. Too many painful memories there. I'm not as strong as you or Katniss."_

_Cassia's eyes have so much fear and pain in them, I almost give in. Almost._

"_Why can't you be strong for your only living relative, Cassia? Katniss may not admit it, but she needs her mother in her life. And you need your daughter in your life. Both of you already lost Noah and Prim; don't distance yourself from Katniss," I say firmly._

_Cassia shakes her head as a tear slides down her cheek. "I just can't. She can't forgive me. She won't forgive me. And I can't forgive myself, no matter how hard I try, Haymitch. Surely you'd understand?"_

_I keep quiet. I'm probably one of the few people in Panem who understands Cassia. _

"_I lost my mother, father and sister, Cassia. I lost Aelia. I wasn't strong enough to save Maysilee. I've been through the Hunger Games. I've seen the ones I love battle through 2 Hunger Games," I say, surprised at myself for admitting to someone that Katniss and Peeta were my loved ones. "I've gone through much, much more than you have, Cassia."_

_Her azure eyes bore into mine and she says softly, "I'm not as strong as you, Haymitch. I can never be." She fumbles for something in her pocket and takes out a folded sheet of paper. "I'll be helping set up a hospital in Four. Tell Katniss to call as soon as you get in."_

_I'm left speechless. I decide to let her be. I take the paper and put it in my pocket. I turn my back against her and walk away. Just as I'm about to open the door, she says, "I'll come back when I'm ready."_

She'll come back when she's ready, she said. That could be next week, next month, next year, or never. Who knows?

I'm walking down the corridor and sandwiched between two guards. They unlock the prison door for me and I enter the room.

She's lying on a blood- stained mattress and a hollow look in her eyes. Her clothes are torn and there are a multiple of cuts and bruises on her body.

"Your trial's over. Come on, we're going home."

Her face stays expressionless. One guard lifts her left arm and the other lifts her right arm and carries her down the corridor with me trailing behind. They take her to a bathroom where some doctors will nurse her to life before I take her to the hovercraft, back to 12.

My mind wanders to Effie while I'm waiting for Katniss. Effie is still in the Capitol hospital, recovering from her bruised ribs. I told her to come to District 12 as soon as she'll be let out. I told her that I wish I could stay with her, but Katniss had no one else to go back with. I also said that I'd get the house ready for her when she comes back.

When Katniss comes out, a guard carries her onto the roof and into the hovercraft. She doesn't even say anything. I'm starting to worry if Katniss will ever show any emotions.

She is seated opposite me with Plutarch on my right. That's right, Plutarch Heavensbee. He'll be dropped off at District 3, to prepare himself for becoming the new secretary of communications.

Plutarch has been in a very good mood lately. Don't ask me why, I tend not to listen when he's speaking.

"You must have a million questions!" exclaims Plutarch with a smile so wide that is fills his whole chubby face. When Katniss doesn't reply, he launches into an hour- long explanation, which was when I zoned out, staring outside the hovercraft window. I hear Katniss speak a few times, but I didn't listen to what she was saying.

We finally reach District 3. Plutarch finally leaves us in peace. When we take off, the silence in the hovercraft is extremely comfortable. Just when I'm about to take a nap, Katniss decides to talk.

"So why are you going back to Twelve?"

I don't want to talk about her mother and how she's not going back, and that I don't want to come back either, and that the main reason I'm going back is to take care of Katniss. So instead, I say, "They can't seem to find a place for me in the Capitol either."

"You have to look after me, don't you? As my mentor?"

I shrug in reply.

"My mother's not coming back."

Ah, she figured it out. So I decide not to hide the truth anymore.

"No," I say simply, not elaborating anymore. Then I remember what Cassia told me. "She's helping to start up a hospital in District Four. She wants you to call as soon as we get in." Katniss traces the delicate handwriting on the paper. I feel guilty for both Cassia and Katniss. "You know why she can't come back." And yes, Katniss knows full well why she can't. "Do you want to know who else won't be there?"

"No," Katniss says immediately. "I want to be surprised."

**Effie's P.O.V:**

_I hear the yelps from someone I don't know. They're whipping him, shocking him, cutting off limbs to make him tell them something he doesn't know. I stare at him knowing I can't do anything to help. Cold blood drips off his limp body. I hear another hoarse scream that barely sounds human anymore. I see him swallowing mouth full of his own blood and choking on it too. There are scars and fresh bruises and wounds all over his body. The peacekeepers are bellowing the same phrase over and over again. "Where are the rebels?" The peacekeepers roar. At first he would say that he didn't know but now he doesn't even have the strength to say it. He's given up completely. They've shocked him countless times with who knows how much voltage, cut off half of his foot, whips him and many other things that are so gruesome I don't even want to talk about. A tear rolls down my face as I see him take his last breath. His eyes roll back and his whole body drops to the floor. I turn away. I can't look anymore._

"_Ugh. Now he's no use of us anymore." A peacekeeper grumbles._

"_Whatever, he was going to die sooner or later. Let's just move onto the next one." He snarls._

_Slowly, he unlocks my jail door. I want to scream and shout but I can't. I don't know why. They easily grab my wrist and yank my bruised and naked body out. I'm weak. I feel the hollow feeling devour me. I am nothing. They whip me again and again. No one cares. They howl at me to ask me where they are. I say I don't know. I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. No one is listening. They tightly strap my hands to a chair that shocks me over and over again. It gives me numerous wounds on my wrist. Does it matter? The excruciating pain is slightly soothing. It lets me know that I can still feel something even though the Capitol had already emptied me and left me hollow. They've already hurt me so many times now. I don't even care anymore. There's nothing left to take away anymore. I've lost everything. My healthy body, my people, my friends, my feelings, everything… _

"_Where are they?" They scream at me._

"_I don't know." I croak. I've gotten used to this routine. I'll never give into them. I'm at least strong enough to keep my promise and not rat out my friends._

_I hear them whispering, "That bitch won't give in. I hate stubborn women. Let's kill her."_

"_No, not yet. Let's first bring in President Snow and see what he wants to do." _

_They chain my up again then one of them goes to call President Snow and the rest smirk at me. I can feel them scanning over my bruised body. Suddenly, Snow comes in._

"_I'm terribly sorry but she isn't giving in so easily. We've been through all the procedures you've suggested but she's not giving us any information."_

"_Oh, there'll be no need. I've found her little friends." Behind him I see Haymitch, Peeta, Katniss and Portia. They're shaking like a leaf. No! No! No! They can't do it! They can torture me as much as they want but they can't take away the little I have left! _

"_Don't! Please! I'll do anything! I'll fix things! Please just give me a chance!"_

"_Well, that's a little too late isn't it?"_

"_Please! Torture me all you want. Kill me! Do whatever you want to me!"_

"_Oh, I won't be killing you. I'll save you for last. I'd first like to punish you for your stubbornness. Pick up that knife on the floor." I hesitate but I know that this could save them. I slowly pick up the knife that is coated with my dry blood._

"_Now kill your friends." My eyes go big. No. _

"_No!"_

"_I know you'll give in eventually. Now is that time."_

"_NO!" The peacekeeper unlocks my chains and I feel something come over me and I can't control my arms anymore. It starts to lift itself up and aim the knife at Portia. I try to stop it but I'm too weak._

"_STOP IT! STOP!" I scream hoping that a miracle would happen but in this world there are no such things as miracles. _

"_Do it." I run to Portia and plunge the knife into her heart._

"_No…" I cry. I've killed her but that still isn't enough for Snow. My hand picks up the knife and slashes Katniss' and Peeta's chest open. Right before they die their eyes bore into mine and I see them mouth "why". They can't be dead! They can't be! I'm quivering now and Snow just laughs._

"_Now the best for last. Haymitch…" Snow says while baring his teeth at me._

"_Please don't make me do this, anything but this. I've already killed all of my other friends. Just please don't make me do this, he's all I have left." I cry._

"_Haha! We were just getting started. Now do it. I'm getting bored." I feel tears streaming down my face. I shake me head and whisper no over and over again while the dagger gets closer and closer to Haymitch._

_His eyes are begging silently, his lips unmoving. The pain is unbearable as I plummet the knife into his chest and I watch his hazel eyes go dim…_

Suddenly, I wake up, cold sweat dripping off my forehead. I'm petrified. For the past few hours, all I've been doing is drifting in and out of consciousness. Sometimes it's just because I'm tired and other times it's because they give me a sedative. It can be really scary but it's sort of a relief at times. Sometimes, I finally stop thinking about reality and my brain sends me into dreamland where there are no dictators, no deaths, no anything. But most of the time, all I get are nightmares, nightmares that replay the horrors of the Hunger Games over and over again. I hear the door creak open and see a nurse bringing some food in.

"Hi Ms Trinket. Here's your lunch. I heard some screams coming from this room. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." That's what I always say. I saw countless people die. Of course I'm fine. They tortured me. I'm fine. I let my friends die. I'm fine…

I notice my hands are extremely cold. They're empty without his calloused ones in mine.

"Where's Haymitch?"

"He's in District 12. He had to take Katniss back, due to the fact that Mrs Everdeen isn't, and Paylor didn't want Katniss to go back without anybody," the man answers.

I freeze in my tracks. "He's in Twelve?"

The man nods.

"Do you know when I'll be able to leave this hospital?"

"I'm sure you'll be able to leave as soon as your physically stable, Ms Trinket. The bruises and whip scars on your back still need time," he answers with a sympathetic smile.

I nod. "Thank you."

When he exits the room with my tray, I lie on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. With only one thought taunting me: _He left you_.

I know it's wrong to think this way. I know that he had to go back for Katniss. But he left without saying goodbye. And that hurt much worse than the torture I went through, because this one cut right through my heart.

**Well, I hope you guys liked it! Please review, favourite and alert (:**


	4. Chapter 4: Broken Promises

**We're back! Here it is: Chapter 4- Broken Promises**

When the hovercraft finally touches down, it's hard to hold back the gasp that escapes his lips.

What used to be buildings are now clusters of burned debris dusted with the soot from the mines. What little grass there was now gone. There are some stains of blood that have been splattered and unrecognizable bodies lay on the ground. Only the Victor's Village is left untouched. You can tell by the state of the Mellark Bakery and the Mayor's home that they took the worst hit from the Capitol's bombs. Lucia, Rye, Wade, Carter, Mark, Marissa, all gone. Madge, his only goddaughter; gone. He let Maysilee slip through his hands and her dying wish was for him to take care of Marissa and Madge. Looks like Haymitch Abernathy isn't one to keep promises.

After his family was killed by Snow, he was reluctant about letting anyone in, or letting him care for them, because if you lose someone you care about, you lose part of yourself too. It's just the way of life. You'll end up losing the people you love, one way or the other.

And when he thinks of broken promises, he thinks of Marissa, Maysilee, Madge and Effie; the four women he cares most about, along with Katniss. 3 are gone. 2 left. And 1 is mentally unstable and the other is 100 miles away from his reach. But they all fall into the same category: the women whom he loved, but couldn't save.

As soon as he sees Katniss disappear into her home in the Victor's Village, he starts walking towards what used to be the Seam. It looks the same as the other houses in the merchant area; burned and destroyed. He lets his feet carry him. His body may be there, but mentally, he's all over the place.

He arrives at what used to be his home. If he shut his eyes, he could imagine how it was like 20 years ago; his mother would be sweeping the floor while whistling a tune and his sister would be sitting on the floor, playing with her old, tattered rag doll. It seemed real, like it just happened a mere hour ago.

But when he opens his eyes, his heart sank as he saw a demolished building. The roof was burned to bits and only half of the cement building was left. But it didn't matter anyway. There was nobody living in it since they died.

He walks to the Meadow, eyes clouding with tears. He hopes that his childhood playground wasn't incinerated, and maybe, he'd have some part of his childhood that was still untouched.

He smiles softly when he sees that the grass is still green and there are no signs of blood or soot. He lets himself relax when he lies on the ground, head facing the grey sky. He stays there for who knows how long, because right now, he feels like a little boy again, without a care in the world, just basking in the warm rays of the sun in the Meadow. But the warmth of the sun only reminds him of her.

The way her eyes use to light up the room, the way she would smile through any situation, good or bad. If she was ever feeling sad, she didn't burden anyone with her problems. Keeping herself busy was like her escape from her worries. Like drinking for Haymitch was an escape from his past.

But that light from her eyes disappeared after she was captured. The brightness in her voice has changed to a flat tone. But what he missed the most was the feel of her hands in his. He missed the way that her little hand would mold so perfectly, like they were made for each other. He wondered if she was thinking of him at this moment. He wondered if she thought he broke her promise.

-xxx-

"Mother, I'm home."

She was discharged from the hospital a mere hour ago and was just dropped off a hovercraft half an hour ago. She walked the streets with a small suitcase in hand and a pale pink dress that fell just below her knees. She missed the smell of home. The streets welcomed here with open arms. Though she was a city girl, she lived on the outskirts of the Capitol, away from the bright lights.

An old woman in her sixties embraced Effie tightly, happy tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You've come home, my dear. I've been waiting so, so long," whispered the woman.

Effie couldn't hold back the tears that burst from her eyes. "I've missed you, mother."

After they sat down a couch, drinking some herbal tea and the comfortable silence, Effie's mother put her cup down and looked at Effie.

"What have you been doing since… The war started?"

Effie was extremely reluctant on telling her mother about what happened to her. She didn't want to make her mother worried.

"I won't tell you if you won't be able to handle it," says Effie softly but firmly. She looked straight into her mother's soft, azure eyes.

"Honey, I think I'll be able what you're about to tell me," says her mother with a bitter tone.

Effie gulped and felt a lump rise in her throat. "I… I was captured after Peeta Mellark was rescued by the rebels."

Effie's mother didn't say a word; she just looked at her daughter with a blank expression, as if she was in some kind of trance.

"I was… tortured. They wanted answers from me, but I didn't know anything. Haymitch, he… didn't tell me anything because he knew that it would just put me in danger. They didn't listen to me when I said I didn't know anything." Just the thought of the man made her heart ache.

Her mother shut her eyes and clenched her fist. When she opened them again, she took Effie's hand and held it there. "What did they do to my baby girl?" she whispers.

She's trying, really trying to not let the tears fall again. The memories of days in the prison cell aren't memories she wants to relive. She squeezes her mother's hand. "I don't think I can talk about it without exploding in tears," says Effie with embarrassment. "It's also really painful to just think about. I don't think I'm ready yet."

Her mother smiles softly and nods with understanding. "It's okay. You can tell me when you're ready."

Effie embraces her mother, silently thanking the heavens for blessing her with such an amazing mother.

When they let go, her mother wears a mischievous grin. "So tell me. I know you've been working with this Haymitch Abernathy sometime. What do you think about him?"

I can't hide the blush that creeps up my cheeks. "He's just… a friend. An acquaintance."

Her mother scoffs and says, "Effie, you should know better than lie to your mother. I can tell with my eyes closed whether you're lying or not."

Effie smiles at her mother. "Well, it's been a bit confusing. When I first met him, I thought he was the most annoying drunk I have ever met. Then slowly, he became my friend I guess. I learned how to tolerate him. I also found out he turned to drinking after Snow killed his family. He was a lost and broken man. But after I was captured, he rescued me when he could've just left me to die. And for two nights, he held my hand while sleeping and he promised not to leave my side. But then he left. He left without saying goodbye. He had to accompany Katniss back to Twelve, but he could've left a note or something. He _promised_ he wouldn't leave me."

I couldn't stop myself from letting the story pour from my lips. Just something about a mother, which makes you tell her everything, whether you like it or not.

Her mother smiles knowingly. "I'm sure he has his reasons for leaving. Let me tell you something," she says as she leans in. "When you lose someone you love, you don't want to let anyone else in, in fear that you'll lose that person too. I believe that Haymitch is in this position, Effie."

"But how would you know?" questions Effie.

Her mother bites her lip and says, "I was in that position not too long ago, Eff."

Effie looks at her with wide eyes. "What do you mean?"

"When your father left, I was broken. We were happily married for 35 years, Eff. Can you imagine how it left me?" she shakes her head sadly. "Aunt Magnolia and Aunt Gemini tried helping me, but I wouldn't let them. I wanted you to come home, but I knew you were away at the Games. I didn't want to burden you with anything."

This time, she lets the tears pour out. "But neither you or father told me until now. I didn't know." It was hard to ignore how hard her heart was beating and how painful it was to blink now.

"I'm sorry," says Effie's mother with heavy droplets of tears failing down her face too.

Effie replies by choking back a sob and a subtle nod of her head.

Haymitch lies on his bed, drunk. Dead drunk. Effie sleeps on the couch, miserable. That night, both of them fall asleep while wondering about whether the other was out there, thinking about what should've been. And that night, they both cry themselves to sleep.

**So, I hope you guys liked it! This chapter was entirely written by HGHP. rue. peeta so the next chapter will be written by jojo167! Thanks, and don't forget to review, favourite and alert (:**


	5. Chapter 5: Unfinished Thoughts

**I AM SO, SO SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE. I'm very to sorry to say that jojo167 has decided not to co- write this story with me *sob* so it's just HGHP writing it now. Sigh.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

_Haymitch's POV_

2 months have gone by now. 2 months of nothing but drinking myself to sleep and drinking away the nightmares.

If there were a machine which could turn back time and bring you back to the past so you change your mistakes, I'd buy that machine without second thoughts.

There are so many things I would change. Depending on how far back in time the machine could go, I'd go as far back as my birth. I'd change it so that I'd never be born into this world.

Sure, things got better, Snow's dead and Paylor is president and that's a good thing. But if I look back at my life, was it worth all the people I've lost? But then I remember that I fought this war for them.

My mind has been all over the place since I've come back. I don't even know what I'm thinking about and how I even got to thinking about it. I don't even understand what I just said.

Screw this. I'm having a drink.

As I hear the pop of the wine cap come off, I chuckle darkly to myself. Every time the person near me would hear this sound, they would tell me about how this drinking problem could be solved and that it hurts to see someone they love slowly dying before their eyes. Hell, I almost miss their nagging. It's so damn quiet in this house sometimes I feel like bringing Effie in here just so I can hear some noise.

Effie.

I take a swig of the wine and gulp down the liquid. The bittersweet taste trails down my throat and helps me forget about her for the moment. But as soon as the wine reaches my stomach, the image of her azure eyes strike me and I'm about to lose my mind. Thinking of her just reminds me of how I left without saying goodbye. But I assure myself by saying that the list of people that have left _me _without saying goodbye would be longer than the route from here to the Capitol.

After the next swig of wine, another set of blue eyes stare back at me.

Maysilee.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" I scream. I throw the half- empty wine bottle against the wall and watch the pieces of glass shatter on the ground with the splash of wine.

I put my head between my knees and run my hands through my unwashed hair. When I look up, she's walking towards me with a sad smile on her face. Her cheeks are a rosy pink and her eyes are shining blue. She's wearing a white dress that tumbles to the ground and her blonde hair is swept to the side.

Am I dreaming? I'm probably hallucinating. Maybe there was too much alcohol in this wine.

She seems to float across the floor to me. She places her hand on my cheek and I feel this cool sensation spreading in my veins.

"Haymitch." Her voice is like a gentle stream to me. I close my eyes and let the tears fall.

"Don't cry," she says soothingly. She wipes off the trail of tears slipping down my cheeks. "Don't cry. Look into my eyes Haymitch."

I open my eyes and look into the eyes I used to find my refuge in. Before we went into the arena, those eyes would keep my feet planted on the ground and keep me sane. And after those eyes closed forever, there was nothing to keep me sane.

"Don't think like that," says Maysilee, as if she were reading my thoughts. "You do have people in your life who keep you sane. You know that."

"No I don't, Maysilee. The people who I think cares about me are about as broken as me, or more. How can they help me?" I say as my voice cracks. "I'm supposed to be _strong. _You told me to be strong, Maysilee. But how am I supposed to stay strong when there's nobody to keep me strong?

Maysilee smiles as she cups my face in her hands. "Katniss and Peeta. They need you like you need them. Peeta lost his entire family too and Cassia doesn't even speak to Katniss anymore. And they're only 17. They're going through what you're going through too, Haymitch. You can't just leave them. They're the concrete to your house, Haymitch."

Katniss and Peeta. It's true, what Maysilee says. They are the concrete to my house and without them, I would've had this mental breakdown much earlier and I wouldn't have had anything or anybody to fight for.

"And don't forget Effie. If Katniss and Peeta are your concrete, she's your base. You wouldn't have had got through these past few years without her," says Maysilee softly.

Just the sound of her name coming out of her mouth causes me to burst into sobs.

"Shh, shh… If it makes you feel any better, she misses you too. It's okay to let someone in your life now, Haymitch. It's safer now," says Maysilee gently.

I shake my head stubbornly. Effie was too good for me. She's too delicate for a rough, drunk man like me.

"Haymitch, she completes you," says Maysilee with a smile. "You complete her. Both of you are two broken pieces that come together to make a beautiful picture. Go find her."

At this point, my heart aches so much that I have to clutch it to not make it fall out of my chest. I can't take it anymore I sink into the ground and curl into a fetal position.

Maysilee kneels down and strokes my back. "I have to go now, Haymitch. But anytime you need me to talk, just remember I'm here," she says as she taps the left side of my chest. "You are an extremely strong man Haymitch. You started strong. Now you have to end strong."

She places a kiss on my forehead and then she's gone. Just like that. She doesn't even fade into the sunlight that's streaming through my window or turn into a million butterflies and flutter away. She just vanished.

I lie on my mattress that night, thinking about what Maysilee said. _Haymitch, she completes you. Both of you are two broken pieces that come together to make a beautiful picture. Go find her._

I don't even know if she even wants to see me again. Maybe she's even married now, with a perfect husband and bubbly little children.

But even then, for Maysilee's sake, and mine, I will find her. And if it means finding her with another man, so be it.

-xxx-

_Effie's POV_

I stare at the blank sheet in front of me and twirl the fountain pen in my hand.

_Haymitch, it's Effie._

I sigh in frustration and crumple the paper into a ball and throw it in the ever- growing pile of unfinished letters.

2 months have gone by and I have never heard a single thing from him. Not even a 'hello' or a simple letter about his well- being. Is that so much to ask for? I sigh and get up from my desk and walk into the backyard.

Mother's little cottage is in a remote area just outside the Capitol suburbs. It's near the mountainsides of District 2. It's really peaceful here and one of the few places the war didn't touch or scar. The green hills slope up and down into the horizon with a small stream along the bottom. Sometimes, I would just sit out here for hours, staring into space and thinking. Thinking about absolutely anything.

As I sit on the soft bed of grass, I smile as the sunshine warms my body. Behind me, I hear slow footsteps approaching me.

"Care to join me, Mother?" I ask.

Mother smiles and sits down next to me. Although she's almost 70 and has never undergone any sort of surgery, she looks as young as 40. The only hint about her old age is the streaks of white in her hair.

"What are you thinking about today?" she asks.

I shrug. "Nothing really. Just admiring the view, as always."

Mother smiles and nods. "I'm glad I moved here. I'm also glad to have you here with me," says Mother as she squeezes my hand.

I smile softly and look forward. The picturesque view captivates us yet again and we sit in a comfortable silence.

"Have you tried contacting any of your friends?" asks Mother, breaking the silence.

"No," I lie. I've _tried_. But I never got as far as actually sending a letter or dialing their number.

"Eff, you can't lie to your mother and you know that," says Mother with a knowing smile. "Who's been on your mind lately?"

I sigh and start pulling out blades of grass. "I don't know if it's even worth my energy just thinking about him. I'm wrong for him in so many ways. We're like north and south, black and white, east and west and any other opposites you can think of. What's the point? I bet he doesn't even want to talk to me anymore. He hasn't contacted me in the 2 months I've been here," I blurt out.

Mother smiles. "Doesn't take a fool to know that you're in love with Haymitch, Eff. Opposites attract. North wouldn't be north without South; black wouldn't be black without white and east wouldn't be east without west. Both of you complete each other. He loves you too. He doesn't want to hurt you; that's why he doesn't want to get attached to you."

"But if he really does love me, he would know that I'm not that weak girl he used to know! I'm not that naïve, annoying little escort anymore. I've been through hell and back; what would make him think that I can't handle whatever's being thrown at me?" I say angrily.

"Because he doesn't know that. You need to prove it to him," says Mother patiently.

"And how will I do that?"

"You go find him and tell him everything you just told me."

I crease my eyebrows. "But what if he doesn't feel the same way?"

Mother chuckles and says, "Trust me, darling. He's already there."

**Well, I hope this chapter made up for the long wait… :P Hope you liked it! Next chapter is going to exciting, so bear with me here (:**

**Thanks to my awesome reviewers: _Dr. Giggles_**_**, silvia, antartica, pinkish-red hearts, allonsysilvertongue, typicalRAinbow**_

**Review, favourite and alert please!**


	6. Chapter 6: Open Arms

**Chapter 6 is here! Thanks for sticking with me; it's a harder now that I have to find time to write 3 stories :P Hope you like it (:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

The only thought that fills his mind as he waits for the train to arrive is whether Effie would welcome him with open arms or shut the door in his face. He had only gotten her address two days ago, from one of the least expected people: Plutarch Heavensbee.

"_Why do you want Effie's address?" asks Plutarch curiously._

"_Look, you owe me one. Just do me this favour and stop asking questions," Haymitch snaps._

_Plutarch raises his hands in defense and says, "Okay, okay. Chill."_

_As he rummages through his drawers, he says, "I heard that she's living with her mother in the Capitol suburbs. Probably the only place that wasn't affected by the war, too."_

_Haymitch nods and taps his foot impatiently as Plutarch continues to search for the letter. Then finally, he pulls out a pink envelope._

"_Ah, here it is. She sent me this letter a week after she settled down," says Plutarch. He checks the address. "Let me write it down for you."_

"_She wrote a letter to you?" asks Haymitch incredulously._

"_Yes, we're good friends," says Plutarch as he scribbles down the address on a scrap sheet of paper and hands it to Haymitch. "She mentioned you in her letter."_

_Haymitch creases his eyebrows. "Really? What did she say?"_

"_She asked if you've contacted me and whether he has paid a visit to me. I said no, of course," answers Plutarch as he hands Haymitch the sheet of paper. "Well, I've got to go now. Hope I've done enough."_

"_Thanks, Plutarch."_

He takes a deep breath as he enters the train and sits on the leather seat. He takes the paper out of his pocket and reads the address again.

_#13 Trinket Cottage_

_Mulberry Valley, Green Hill Road_

_Southern Capitol, Panem_

He had already read the address so many times he could almost say it backwards. He sighs as he slips the paper back in his pocket. According to his ticket, he should be arriving in Mulberry Valley in half an hour. He stares out the windows at watches the ruins of Twelve gradually changing into just wide expanses of green.

For some reason, his thoughts carry him to Katniss and Peeta. These 2 months together have been hard for all 3 of them. While Katniss and Peeta were piecing themselves together and bonding, Haymitch was drinking. Sometimes they would come over and shower and feed him and would invite them over for dinner sometimes, but every time he was alone, he would be drowning in liquor. They would sometimes send Greasy Sae to cook for him and clean his house up once in a while.

But that one day Greasy Sae couldn't come over, Ripper took her place. Ripper was the lady who used to sell alcohol to everybody in Twelve. She's a hard one to forget; she was one of the few survivors that remained after the mine explosion that took out Nathan Everdeen and Ty Hawthorne. But she didn't leave the mines unscarred; she lost her left arm and a brother in the explosion.

He remembers the conversation they had very clearly. He remembers her telling him to treasure the last few years he had and not squander a minute of his life for a sip of alcohol. He had heard the same lecture from every other person, but I guess that since it came from an ex alcoholic and old friend who had gone through hard times too, he finally allowed the information to sink in. And with the help of Katniss, Peeta and Greasy Sae, he slowly got rid of his drinking problem and replaced the time he used to spend on drinking, with his geese.

You might ask how he had gotten the geese. It was a simple story really. Before Ripper left for District 9, she left Haymitch with the responsibility of her geese. They were fine animals and kept him busy. Keeping them in their fence meant keeping Haymitch active and busy, leaving him no time to sit around and do nothing.

"Arriving at Mulberry Valley."

Haymitch gets up and holds on to the railing as the train pulls into the station. He steps out of the train doors and breathes in the fresh air.

As he looks around, he sees that Mulberry Valley was an extremely verdant and beautiful place. There was the clear sky and little sparrows hopping along the station floor.

As the train leaves the station, Haymitch walks down the stairs and is met with rows of little stalls. There were stalls selling flowers, handmade bracelets, tea leaves and of course, fresh mulberries.

He stops at the stall selling flowers and tries to remember what Effie's favourite flowers were. He vaguely remembers her mentioning tulips, so he purchases a bouquet of pink tulips for Effie and another bouquet of yellow tulips for her mother. He hopes that bringing flowers would somehow make up for the surprise visit.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me the directions to number 13 Trinket Cottage on Green Hill Road?" he asks politely.

"Go down this road until you see a huge oak tree roundabout, then make a left and you should see a little cottage on a hill," answers the old woman.

"Thank you," says Haymitch graciously.

"My pleasure," says the woman with a genuine smile.

So he heads down the road with two bouquets of tulips in his hands and slightly happy about the fact that this was the first time in a long time someone has been so kind to him.

-xxx-

Effie paces up and down the room with a huge knot in her stomach.

"Why so nervous, darling?" asks her mother.

Effie sighs and says, "I just have a really weird feeling about something. I'm nervous for absolutely no reason."

Her mother laughs and says, "What could you possibly be nervous about?"

"I don't know! If I knew, I would've told you earlier."

Her mother wraps her in a hug and smiles. "Maybe it's a good kind of nervous? Maybe it's your heart telling you that something good is about to happen."

-xxx-

When he finally arrives at 13. Trinket Cottage, he takes a deep breath, uses one hand to smooth his hair and suit and knocks on the door.

-xxx-

"Are you expecting anybody, Mother?" asks Effie.

"No, I'm not. Maybe it's Haymitch at our door with a bouquet of flowers for our little Effie," she says jokingly.

"Quite unlikely, Mother." Effie rolls her eyes as she opens the door and gasps as she takes in the man in front of her.

"Haymitch?"

He smiles shyly and extends the bouquet of pink tulips to her. "For you."

Haymitch has to actually put the flowers in her hand because Effie is so frozen with shock that all she can do is stare at him, but she snaps out of her trance as soon as Haymitch touches her though.

"Oh, Haymitch!" exclaims Effie. Still in shock, she said the only sentence she could form in her head, "Come in."

Haymitch steps in and takes in the little cottage. The living room has a couch facing the fireplace with the kitchen patio right behind it. There is a room on both sides of the kitchen, which Haymitch guessed were the bedrooms. It's small, but cozy. He liked it.

"This is a really nice place. Princess," says Haymitch.

"Thanks," says Effie. She was still wondering why Haymitch was here. He could've at least sent a short letter or a phone call to tell her that he was coming. But no, he has to pay an unexpected visit the day right after she tells her mother about having feelings for Haymitch.

"Is your mother here?"

Just then, Effie's mother opens one of the bedroom doors and comes out.

"Hi there," she says with a warm smile. "I'm Eunice Trinket, Effie's mother."

"Haymitch Abernathy," he says with a smile and extends his hand for her to shake. Effie's mother shakes his hand and chuckles.

"I've finally met you personally. My Effie talks about you a lot," says Effie's mother jokingly.

"Mother," says Effie with embarrassment as the pink slowly creeps up her cheeks.

"What brings you here to our home on this very day, Haymitch?" asks Effie's mother.

"I wanted to come visit Effie," said Haymitch. "I haven't seen her in a while so I thought that I should pay a visit. So here I am. I was also curious about meeting her mother, because she used to talk about you a lot."

Effie's mother laughs. "I hope she only says the good things about me."

Haymitch smiles and says, "Don't worry; she says the sweetest things about you."

All this time, Effie stands aside, observing the delicate pink tulips that Haymitch had given. She was surprised he even remembers her favourite flower. She only recalls mentioning it once, and even then Haymitch was drunk.

"_Who's nice enough to send the Effie Trinket red roses?" slurs Haymitch._

_Effie sighs and thinks, he's drunk; _again_. But again, when is he not? "A friend. Why would you care?" She rolls her eyes and places the roses in a glass vase. "Besides, roses aren't even my favourite flowers.'_

"_Roses aren't your favourite, eh?" says Haymitch as he takes another swig of liquor. "Then what are your favourite?"_

_She figured that since he was drunk, he wouldn't remember if she told him. "Tulips; pink tulips."_

Then Effie realizes something. Something seems different about Haymitch. He doesn't carry the scent of white liquor anymore and he even looks sober while wearing his clean suit and combed- back hair. Has Haymitch Abernathy finally stopped drinking?

"Well, Haymitch, I'm afraid I have to go to the markets to go buy some groceries, so I'll leave you with Effie," says Effie's mother as she walks towards the door. "I'll be back soon. Keep each other company." And with that, she leaves with the shut of the door.

The first few seconds start with both of them just standing awkwardly in the centre of the room, not knowing what to say.

"Um, take a seat," says Effie quickly as she gestures for him to do so.

Haymitch sits on the far end of the couch with Effie on the other end.

"Why now, Haymitch? Why wait 2 months to come talk to me? Wouldn't it have been easier if you just sent a letter or called me?" blurts Effie. "I know you had to go back to Twelve to take care of Katniss and Peeta, but you left without saying goodbye! You could've easily left a note or told a nurse to send a message, but you just left. Just when I was thinking that you had changed for the better and that just maybe, you'd keep your promise. But I should've known better." Once she opened her mouth, she couldn't stop the words that poured out from her lips.

"Effie, I know it was hard on you, but it was hard for me too! I knew that if made any ties or attachments with you, it'd be even more difficult to say goodbye!" says Haymitch with frustration.

"Look, I'm not the same woman you met 3 years ago. I'm not naïve or innocent or oblivious anymore. I've been through hell and back, I'm pretty sure I can handle a bit of physical pain. But I've realized that heartbreak is much more painful and traumatic than any whipping," says Effie angrily. "You hid so much from me. I thought I knew you pretty well, but you proved me wrong. Did you think that I was too innocent? Too weak to handle the real world?"

"I knew that they would torture you even more if they knew that you had information," says Haymitch exasperatedly. He only had one chance to tell her these things so he let it all out, in fear that he may never have the courage to do so again. "And all the crap about you being weak and not strong enough is just wrong. I'm sorry if I gave you that idea. You're strong enough to not give in when Snow tortured you, you're strong enough to not turn to a bad habit when times got tough for you. You're so much stronger than anybody gives you credit for, Effie. And you want to know why I kept you in the dark all this time? You know why I never wanted to let you in?" He takes in a deep breath and says softly, "Because I loved you. Because I _love_ you, and I know I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I hurt you."

Effie covers her mouth and gasps back a sob. The emotion that has been bottling up inside of her explodes and she hugs Haymitch which strength that she never knew she had. He hugs her back just as tightly, with one hand on the back of her head and the other on her back.

"I love you too, Haymitch," she whispers in his ear. "I love you too."

**PHEW. THAT WAS EMOTIONAL. It was slightly hard for me to write but I THINK it turned out pretty well :P Review, favourite and alert please (:**


	7. Chapter 7: Welcome Back

**I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN FOREVER. I have not used a laptop for more than 10 minutes, therefore I have been unable to upload anything. But I had started writing on my iTouch and have rewritten the chapter at least 50 times until I can probably memorise it XD But I think it's satisfactory. Enjoy (:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

He arrived at the train platform half an hour early. Haymitch Abernathy was a man who never arrived on time, let alone before a train was scheduled to pull in the station. But maybe it was because of the fact that he spent the whole night tossing and turning in his bed, anxious for Effie's arrival. He was so anxious, he even got the house cleaned up properly and asked Katniss and Peeta to prepare dinner for them, and of course they obliged.

He was glad for those two. Apart from being one of the few people he loved and trusted, they were also the children he never had and never will have. He loved seeing them grow back together and although he would never admit it to anybody, he was glad that he was the person they ran to whenever there was a problem. The nights when Peeta would crash in his house because Katniss was having another mental breakdown and would lock the house up, or when Katniss sought out his embrace whenever Peeta was having an episode; those were the things that kept his feet planted in District 12. The fact that he knew that somebody needed him gave him the motivation to live his life a little better.

Today was only 2 days after Haymitch's surprise visit to Effie's home. After their 'declaration of love' for each other, they had spent a few hours sitting outside in her backyard, talking about absolutely anything and everything. Eunice Trinket had cooked up a feast that night and kept the conversation and atmosphere at the table light and comfortable. It was when Effie dropped Haymitch off at the train station when he invited both her and her mother to come to Twelve for a few days.

The roar of the incoming train knocked Haymitch out of his thoughts and into reality. When it finally halted, he stuffed his hands in his pocket and shuffled on the spot, suddenly extremely nervous about meeting Effie again. He glanced at the swarm of people that were flocking around him and after seeing hundreds of people rush past him, he panicked and questioned himself. What if she forgot that she was supposed to come today? What if she missed the train? What if she realized that agreeing to come to stay with him was a bad idea, and she decided to bail on him at the last minute? But before he could turn around and run away like a coward, he spotted a head of golden blonde hair amongst the crowd and he took a deep breath, gathered all the courage he could muster and squeezed through the crowd to get to her.

She had her hair tumbling down below her shoulders and she was wearing a plain, short sleeved pink dress that flared out at the knees. She was about a head shorter than Haymitch when not wearing her five- inch stilettos. Haymitch looked around for Effie's mother, but did not find her. He settled for that fact that Eunice Trinket had decided not to accompany her daughter.

He walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. Effie looked up and sighed in relief.

"About time you showed up! Be a gentleman and help me with these bags, will you?" asked Effie with a cheeky smile as she dumped humongous duffel bags in his hands.

Haymitch slouched at the weight of the bags and groaned. "I'm pretty sure you said you were only staying for two nights, not two centuries…"

Effie giggled as she readjusted the grip on her trolley bag and pulled the strap of her designer bag over her left shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but in my town, I'm already considered a light packer."

xxx

Although it was only a 5 minute walk from the train station to the Victor's Village, it took twice as long because of Effie's luggage. They finally arrived at his house and hauled the overweight baggage onto the front porch. Haymitch wiped his forehead with the back of his palm and opened the front door and gestured of Effie to enter.

This wasn't the first time Effie entered Haymitch's house, but this was definitely the first time she had ever seen it clean. The chairs and tables actually had all four legs on the ground, there was no longer the scent of unwashed laundry and rotten food, and she could walk around the house without having to hop over spilled liquor and broken glass.

"Did Haymitch Abernathy, messiest person in the history of histories, _finally _clean his house? Not only that, but for the sake of Effie Trinket's arrival?" asked Effie in mock disbelief.

"Hey, watch the tone, young lady. A nice thank you would be sufficient," grunted Haymitch.

Effie walked towards Haymitch and stopped when her face was only inches away from his. She was so close that she felt him tense up when she leaned in until their noses were almost touching. She allowed herself to get lost in those caramel- coloured eyes and both stayed in that position for a good minute or so.

But being the cheeky Effie she is, she angled her head slightly to the right and placed a lingering kiss on his rough cheek and whispered in his ear, "Thank you."

xxx

After Effie settled down in the room upstairs, Haymitch brought her out to his backyard, unlocked the gate to the pen and let the geese out. Effie laughed when she saw the geese scurry out of the pen and honking their heads off. **(A/N: Geese honk.) **Some went straight to the pond and some waddled around.

"Did you build the pond yourself?" asked Effie with surprise in her voice.

Haymitch shrugged and answered, "Had some help from Thom and Peeta."

Effie grinned. The old Haymitch would never lift a finger to do something like build a pond for some geese, and the old Haymitch would constantly get on her nerves for having bad manners. But this was the new Haymitch, and she liked him much, much better.

"Have you named the geese?" asked Effie.

Haymitch chuckled as he said, "I guess you could say so." He scratched his chin. Effie raised one eyebrow, waiting for Haymitch to maybe 'introduce' them to her. "But I'd rather not tell you."

"Why not?'

Haymitch avoided her eyes as he answered, "Cos it'll just bring back memories; memories you might not want to think about."

Effie sighed in exasperation as she crossed her arms. "Haymitch, I thought I made it pretty clear that I'm strong enough to handle these things. I really am."

Haymitch hesitated but reluctantly decided to tell her. He pointed to the smallest duck that was nestled into its mother's side in the pond.

He said quietly, "That one's Prim. She's the smallest but the sweetest amongst them all."

Effie was struck with shock and surprise and seemed to have somehow frozen in place. Haymitch watched her and instantly regretted telling her. But before he could open his mouth to apologize, Effie asked quietly, "What about its mother?"

"Cassia."

Katniss and Prim's mother. There was also Finnick, who was the one that wouldn't stop honking; Chaffm the one that waddled with a limp; Gale, Maysilee, Noah (Katniss' dad), Ripper, Plutarch, which ironically was the fattest one, Mags and Johanna. When Haymitch got to the final two geese who were just cuddled next to each other at the pond side, he hesitated again, but sighed and said the next sentence so quietly that they were barely audible.

"Those two are Cinna and Portia."

Effie felt as if someone had just pushed her off a cliff and had landed on her back with the wind knocked out of her. She noticed that Cinna had a little bit of orange fur near his eye, a bit like Cinna's trademark gold eyeliner. The names Haymitch had given the geese were almost fitting to real person.

Cinna and Portia were one of the few people she trusted her life with. She could tell them anything and would know they wouldn't tell a soul. When she found out that they were killed, Effie felt like someone had just ripped a piece of her heart out. Now, it was almost a year since their death, but it was still painful for her to think about how much she missed them. Tears gathered in her eyes, but she fought them back and turned to Haymitch, who wore a glassy look in his eyes.

"Oh, Haymitch," said Effie softly as she cupped Haymitch's face in her hands. Haymitch tried to look anywhere but into those blue eyes, but once his eyes landed on hers, he found it impossible to focus on anything else.

"The amount of strength you have to endure all these painful memories and live with them is something I will forever admire you for."

xxx

"It's good to see you again, Katniss!" exclaimed Effie as she gave Katniss a tight hug and a quick peck on the cheek. "You seemed to have put on a bit of weight since I last saw you!"

Katniss smiled and said, "Peeta's cooking hasn't been making me any skinnier, I guess."

Just then, Peeta entered the living room and greeted Effie with a warm hug.

"It's been a while; about time you visited!" said Peeta with a smile as he released her. "I love the hair," complimented Peeta. "I always knew that under those wigs, your hair would be a pretty golden blonde."

Effie beamed in delight and said, "Still as charming as ever! Katniss is one lucky girl, isn't she?"

Katniss blushed furiously and nudged Effie playfully. As Peeta put his arm around Katniss' waist, her eyes softened, and she leaned comfortably into his embrace. Effie noticed that the war had somehow changed Katniss for the better. Her eyes had a brightness to them; a twinkle that wasn't in her eyes before. Maybe living with Peeta had changed her for the better; he somehow keeps her flames from going ablaze, keeps her from going insane. After all, Katniss had lost nearly all of her loved ones and Peeta, his entire family. They completed each other and filled the empty voids in their hearts. The sound of Peeta's laughter reminded Effie that she was still with them and not in her own little world. He motioned for her to take a seat at the table. Haymitch pulled the chair out for Effie to sit and she smiled in thanks.

Peeta brought out two dishes and set them on the candle lit table. The smell of fresh venison from the deer Katniss managed to hunt down in the morning and the cheese salad with bread crumbs permeated the room, and they dug into the food heartily.

They talked about how Paylor was doing a great job of rebuilding Panem and the time when Haymitch's geese had broken out of its pen and fled to Katniss and Peeta's backyard.

"I remember one morning, I woke up to a dozen geese honking like crazy and Haymitch yelling and stomping, demanding they go back to their pen. It was so comical and quite a sight," recalled Peeta as he gathered the empty dishes and brought them to the sink. He opened the oven and brought out a simple yet scrumptious- looking pastry with berry filling. He gave it out to everyone and took a seat.

"So, Effie," said Peeta as he dug into the pastry. "Wasn't your mother supposed to come with you to Twelve?"

Effie answered, "She wanted to stay back at home. She didn't want to leave the house unattended."

The rest of the evening went well and soon enough, it was time for Effie and Haymitch to leave.

"It's been a pleasure having you, Effie. Hope you come visit more often," said Katniss quietly with a soft smile.

Effie smiled and said reassuringly, "I'll be here for two more days, so I'll come by tomorrow." She pecked Katniss on the cheek and turned to Peeta.

"Thank you so much for the meal; it was delightful. It was lovely seeing you two again! See you two lovebirds tomorrow," trilled Effie as she gave Peeta a brief hug. She remains oblivious to the fact that Katniss and Peeta turned crimson red when Effie had labeled them lovebirds.

xxx

Unable to sleep knowing that Effie was in the room above him, Haymitch got off the living room couch and went outside to his backyard and sat on the wooden bench, hoping that the night air would clear his head and somehow lull him to sleep.

He heard the soft footsteps descend on the stairs and smiled when Effie took a seat next to him. The bench was only fit for one person, so Effie and Haymitch were sitting so close to each other their thighs were flushed together and their shoulders were touching. Haymitch hoped that they weren't close enough for Effie to hear the hammering of his heart.

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Nope," answered Haymitch, popping the 'p'. "I like to spend my nights out here anyway."

Effie nodded. She could see why. The moonlight reflected off the surface of the pond and the sky was pinned down by millions of twinkling stars and she relished the feeling of the cool air against her skin. It was beautiful enough that you could just sit there for hours, gazing into the sky.

"It's really nice to see you again, Haymitch," said Effie softly. "I'm really glad I came. Thanks for letting me stay with you."

Haymitch turned to look at her and smiled when he saw the sincerity in her eyes. "My pleasure. It was getting a bit lonely anyway. Nice to have someone my age around here."

Effie laughed, which caused Haymitch's smile to grow wider, and thinking about how her genuine laughter was the best music to his ears.

It was odd. When he finally got rid of his drinking problem, he noticed that he started _noticing things. _But most of all, he was surprised he never noticed how beautiful Effie's smile was.\

Haymitch didn't realize he was staring at her until she was staring back. And again, without realizing it, they both leaned in slowly until their lips brushed. Their eyes never left each other's and neither was planning on it. Then their eyes fluttered close and they leaned in even more, closing the gap between their lips.

The butterflies that Haymitch felt in his stomach were new to him. This was only his second kiss, and his first was at least a decade ago.

She had kissed a couple of guys, but none made her heart race like he did, and none gave her goosebumps all over her body. She wished she could say that Haymitch was her first kiss, because all the other men she liked before him were now just silly schoolgirl crushes. With Haymitch, it was undoubtedly more than just a crush.

She gently placed her hands on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist. By doing so, he leaned in even more, deepening the kiss, causing both of them to shiver in delight.

He loved the feeling of her lips on his and he loved the way her hands curled up on his chest. He felt so strong holding her like that. For once in his life, he knew that there was something and someone worth making sacrifices for. Sure, there was the rebellion, Katniss and Peeta and his other Victor friends, but Effie was the first person that proved she was worth fighting for and the first person that loved him as much as he loved her. For that, his love for her blazed even more, igniting the spark in his heart.

She never wanted to forget the safeness she felt when his arms were wrapped around her. If she could, she would make sure he never let go, so she would always feel that sense of love and security.

Albeit the fact they have been working together as escort and mentor for about 6 years, they never once shared more than a brief hug. But during those years, their feelings for each other became stronger and after a while, Haymitch was no longer just an obnoxiously rude drunk to Effie anymore, and Effie wasn't just a heartless peacock to Haymitch. And throughout this whole time, neither of them fully realized how much they cared for each other, or how strong their love for each other was.\

They were too caught up in the kiss to do anything but focus on it, but they knew that if they had to freeze one moment of their lives and live it forever, it would be this one.

**Their first kiss. What did you think? I'm typing away furiously on my dad's laptop in the KLIA Airport in Malaysia just so I can upload this for you guys. It would be really nice if you reviewed ;)**


	8. Chapter 8: Out The Door

**Sorry for the long wait! It's almost been a month since I've updated and I feel bad. I had a horrible writer's block. So I'll make this short; hope the chapter makes up for the wait :S**

**Chapter 6: Effie comes to Twelve to visit and has her first kiss with Haymitch (:**

**Note: MILD swearing. Like, super mild. But just warning you :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games.**

"Up so early, Trinket?"

Effie whirled around and smiled at Haymitch. His brown hair was tousled and messy, grey shirt slightly wrinkled from tossing and turning in his sleep. He gave her a lopsided smile as Effie scooted on the bench for him to sit. He put his arm around her waist as she nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

After the kiss, they were much more… confident when it came to body contact. When they were just walking down the streets, Haymitch would just randomly take her hand in his and place a kiss on her palm, or when Haymitch was sitting on the couch, she would lie down on his lap and fall asleep there.

"The geese woke me up."

Haymitch chuckled softly. "Are you sure? Maybe you just came down to check whether they stole another of your shoes."

Yesterday, Effie went out to the backyard and carelessly left her shoes outside. Unfortunately, Haymitch had opened the pen and let the geese out. Finnick found one of her pink flats and waddled around with the shoe in its mouth. When Effie went to find her shoes and realized that one of them was missing and then found it in Finnick's mouth, she went ballistic. She pulled the shoe right out of its bill and started screaming at the confused goose about how there was goose saliva all over her favourite pair of shoes and how atrocious it was that Haymitch didn't train his geese not to touch things that weren't theirs, and insisted that he punished them immediately.

Instead, Haymitch spent half an hour rolling on the grass, guffawing until his stomach and throat hurt. Effie joined in the laughter soon after.

Effie scowled as Haymitch laughed. "That is something I would not like to live through again, Mr Abernathy. Finnick is a horrible goose."

"Maybe next time you shouldn't wear bright pink shoes. Or just not leave your shoes in the backyard when the geese are out."

xxx

They walked down the cobblestoned street, hand in hand.

They walked in silence, not because they had nothing to say, but because they just wanted to relish the feeling of their fingers entwined and the sound of the mockingjays singing.

"Where are you taking me, Haymitch?" asked Effie quietly as they walked into an abandoned street with empty houses.

"You'll see," answered Haymitch softly and squeezed her hand.

He stopped her when he reached the house at the end of the street.

For some reason, this house felt different. Sure, it was vacant and old, just like the other houses, but this house seemed… _warmer,_ and this house felt familiar. It gave off a faint scent that Effie seemed to recognize.

"This is where I grew up."

Haymitch exhaled loudly, as if he were holding his breath.

Effie's eyes were wide open with shock. Even after his Games, the videos he were in did not show his home or his family, and judging by the tenseness in his arms, Effie knew that this place held a lot of memories. Maybe some painful, maybe some happy.

"Do you want to go in?" Effie asked carefully. She wanted to give him time to think; he brought her here, and that alone should prove how much he trusted her. She didn't want to force him to do something he didn't want to.

Haymitch pondered on it. Did he want to go in? He hadn't set foot in the house since his mother and sister were murdered in there. He didn't go back in to get his clothes or the photo album, he didn't go back to gather any of his old possessions. Besides, his family was his only treasured possession and they had been stripped away from him. No, he did not want to go in.

But the words that tumbled from his lips suggested otherwise.

"Are you sure?"

Haymitch nodded stiffly and opened the front door. _Just get it over with, _thought Haymitch bitterly.

The house looked untouched. The dining table was slightly worn down, the kitchen rusty and layers of dust everywhere. But other than that, it looked the same 20 years ago and now. The vague smell of lavender lingered in the room and Effie turned to Haymitch.

"Why does it smell like lavender?"

Haymitch squirmed as he answered, "There used to be a huge lavender field near the fence. When I was little, I would go there every morning and evening to pick a bunch for my mother. Then when I turned 13 and stopped doing it, my sister took after me. I guess the scent never really left."

Effie kept quiet. She never knew that Haymitch had a sister. She didn't even stop to think about his family until now.

"What happened to them?"

Haymitch's face went blank. The trauma of having to relive their deaths wasn't something he wanted to do with Effie around. Thinking about them usually led to screaming and thrashing.

Effie noticed the conflict etched in his face and said quietly, "I'm here for you."

Haymitch gulped and whispered, "Snow."

That one word explained almost everything to Effie. Snow didn't like the fact that Haymitch won the Games using something that wasn't intended to be a weapon. He wasn't supposed to win; the girl from One was supposed to. He was supposed to die. Haymitch won against all the odds.

"He killed them while I was on the Victory Tour," he said quietly. "He left the bodies here; didn't bother burying them. Both had a knife in the chest and clutching a white rose." His voice broke in the last words.

She didn't know what to say. It's okay? You'll be fine? She knew that those were lies. Haymitch didn't need more lies; besides, he wasn't stupid. He knew that it wasn't okay and he wasn't going to be fine. So instead, she tugged on his hand and walked around the house.

It was small, but extremely cozy. The house gave off a sense of comfort and warmth, and Effie loved it. Haymitch was silent the whole time, trailing behind Effie and nodding when Effie commented on something.

After Effie stepped out of the house, she turned to him and gave him a tight hug.

"Thank you for pulling through. You are so strong, Haymitch. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise."

xxx

"Effie, we are far too old to be playing silly games."

Effie rolled her eyes and said firmly, "It is not a silly game. It's just something that will help pass the time."

Haymitch groaned. Effie was leaving on the train in an hour; he didn't want to spend her last hour in Twelve playing a game. But if he didn't do anything to occupy his time, he might start thinking about how to live without Effie again. So he decided to play.

"2 Truths, 1 Lie," said Haymitch with a monotone voice. "Even the name sounds boring."

Effie smiled and said. "The rules are simple. I will name 3 statements: 2 Truths and 1 Lie. You will have to guess which is the lie. Understood?"

Haymitch grunted a yes as Effie lied down on his lap. He twirled the blonde locks of her hair mindlessly, waiting for her to begin.

"I'll start. I used to play the piano, I like goats and I like the colour black."

Haymitch scoffed. "Easy enough. The lie is that you like the colour black. You seem like the kind of person who liked the piano and fluffy animals or something. I swear you don't own a single item that consists a spot of black."

Effie smiled and said proudly, "Wrong. The lie is actually the statement about me liking goats. I abhor those creatures. I don't like the noises they make. And I do in fact like the colour black. I just don't think it suits my skin tone."

Haymitch raised his brow. "Interesting."

"Your turn."

Haymitch sighed. "Um, I like flowers, I like cooking and I own a bow tie."

Effie scrunched her face. "That's hard. They all seem like lies. You do know it's 2 Truths and 1 Lie, right?"

Haymitch rolled his eyes and said, "Yes, Princess."

Effie thought for a while before answering," You don't own a bow tie."

"Wrong. I hate cooking. I do actually own a bow tie."

Effie's eyes widened in surprise. "How come I've never seen you wear one? I'm sure you'd look quite stunning with one," teased Effie.

Haymitch stifled a smile. "Never bothered to. Anyway, your turn."

"Hmm… I like wigs, I hate trains and I make the best pancakes in the world."

"I hate trains is definitely a lie. You've probably ridden a train at least 100 times in your life, Eff," said Haymitch.

"Wrong again. Geez, Haymitch, I'm starting to think that you don't know anything about me," mocked Effie with a smile. "The lie is: I like wigs. Those scratchy things annoy the life out of me; I only wore them because I had to. Same goes for makeup."

Haymitch was taken aback with surprise. He always thought that Effie adored the ridiculous headwear and couldn't bear to part with them. And what she said was true; all the Escorts back then had to wear wigs. None of them showed their natural coloured hair or went out of their houses without 50 layers of makeup on.

"So you make good pancakes?" he asked with a grin.

"The best," confirmed Effie with a proud smile.

Haymitch poked her and said, "Then you should make some the next time you come."

Silence. Effie stared at Haymitch, Haymitch stared back at Effie. Neither said anything.

Then Effie smiled sadly and said softly, "I might not, Haymitch."

"What do you mean 'you might not come back'? You will," said Haymitch firmly.

"Haymitch… I should've told you earlier, I just couldn't muster any courage to," said Effie slowly. "I… I don't think this would work out."

"What wouldn't work out?" asked Haymitch, clearly frustrated.

"Us," Effie whispered.

Haymitch immediately stood up, causing Effie's head to fall onto the couch. She sat up and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"What the hell are you talking about, Effie? You tell me right now," snarled Haymitch.

"I'm scared."

"Scared about what, huh? Geese? Spiders? Yellow umbrellas? You were the one who told me that you could handle anything. You were the one who told me you were _strong _enough to handle whatever I threw in your way," yelled Haymitch.

"I was wrong, okay?" shouted Effie. Then the tears sprung from her eyes and started trailing down her cheeks. The sight was enough to almost make Haymitch forget about his anger and comfort her, but he didn't.

"I don't know what this is. I don't know what is happening inside, Haymitch. The feelings are so strong that I… I don't know what to do," whispered Effie.

Haymitch's eyes turned hard. "Nobody asked you to do anything. I didn't ask you to do anything," he said coldly.

Effie's eyes shone with fresh tears as she pleaded, "Haymitch, I-"

"No, Effie. I think it's _my _turn to speak," interrupted Haymitch angrily. "I trusted you with my secrets. I trusted you with my past. I trusted you and actually opened up to you. Do you know how hard it is for me? Do you? Do you think it's easy for me to let someone into my life? Do you think that it's easy for me?"

There were now a steady flow of tears down Effie's face and she didn't bother fighting them back. "Haymitch, please. I just need time to think."

Haymitch didn't answer. His face remained stiff and his voice was icy as he said, "Go. Get your bags and leave."

"But-"

"Don't make me."

Effie could see through her blurry vision that Haymitch was dead serious. She grabbed her bags by the stairs and opened the door. Haymitch gripped the doorknob as she stepped out onto the street.

"Haymitch-"

_Slam._

Effie stared at the closed door and burst into tears. Haymitch could hear the sobs from the other end of the door and was so close to opening the door and letting her in again. Forgiving her.

_No, _he told himself. _She wanted time to think. I'm being a gentleman and giving her what she wants._

_Bullshit._

He ran a hand through his hair and ran upstairs into his bedroom and slammed the door. He threw his pillows across the room and punched the wall so hard his knuckles bled.

When he got tired of punching, he collapsed onto the bed and finally allowed himself to cry.

He already missed the feeling of her body against his. Last night, they had slept together. They didn't do anything, just slept. He had his arms wrapped around her and hers around him. It had only been 10 minutes since he kicked her out, but he already felt like he hadn't seen her in centuries.

Then he thought back to the past 2 days. He searched and racked his brain for anything he did that might've offended her in the least bit, or if he was too obnoxious or oblivious to notice signs of Effie thinking about leaving him. But he couldn't find anything. Maybe she was just being stupid. Or maybe he was. He didn't know. Probably never would.

That night, he fell asleep with only one thought on his mind; _where did I go wrong?_

xxx

_Stupid, stupid, stupid girl! _

Effie cried her way to the train station. Thankfully, it was a midnight train ride and nobody but a few other people were taking it. She wished that she were alone. But she wished that she were still in his house.

The past few days have been nothing but blissfully perfect. She enjoyed her time with Haymitch so much she lost track of time and the days and night molded together.

She knew why she said what she told Haymitch. She wasn't lying; the feelings that she felt were too strong, and they scared her. It was there when she kissed him, it was there when she just about _touched _him. It scared the living daylights out of her.

But she was mad too. He didn't fight for her when he said that she was going to leave. He could've begged for her to stay. He didn't have to kick her out and leave her in the cold. He should've had the decency to at least walk her to the train station.

She told him that she needed to think, to sort out her thoughts. He gave her the time to think. She didn't have a legit reason to be angry with him.

Effie sighed heavily as the train rolled in the station. She lugged her baggage onto the train and sat on the first seat. She took out her handkerchief and wiped away the tear stains on her cheek and took a deep breath.

The ride home was going to be hard. She wanted so bad to just run off the train and back to Haymitch, but she knew she couldn't. She didn't know if he would still welcome her with open arms after what she'd just done.

But most of all, she didn't think that she would be able to handle the rejection.

**Aiya Effie. Poor Haymitch. I hope that now I'll be able to update regularly again… But I do know that reviews help me a lot ;)**

**Reviews please?**


	9. Chapter 9: Let It Go

**Quick A/N: I follow the books in terms of descriptions, so Haymitch has brown hair and brown eyes (: Just a little heads up.**

Effie sighed as she trailed behind her mother, whom was walking briskly down the street, stopping every now and then at a stall to greet the stall women and men. Mrs Trinket was well known around the town; everybody that knew her would say that Eunice Trinket was an extremely kind-hearted and friendly lady. It was impossible to bad-mouth a person like her.

"Lucia! It's been a while since we talked!"

Mrs Trinket stopped at a stall that sold tulips and hugged the old woman behind it.

"Eunice! It's so good to see you again," said the old woman with a smile. She turned to Effie and said, "Nice to see you too, Effie."

Effie faked a smile and hoped that it would pass for a genuine one. "Nice to see you too, Mrs Heyan."

"Here to buy some tulips, Eunice?" asked the woman as she gestured to her flowers.

Looking at the tulips only brought back memories of Haymitch standing at her doorstep with a bouquet of those in his hands. She thought of the shy smile on his face as he handed her the flowers and how his eyes twinkled when she welcomed him in. 2 days without Haymitch felt like 2 centuries. Countless times she picked up the phone and tried to call him, but never got pass dialing his number. She tried writing him a letter, but only resulted in crumpled paper and dried out pens.

She pinched her forearm to distract herself from thinking about Haymitch.

"By the way, Eunice," said Lucia. "You didn't have any guests coming by any time last week, did you?"

Mrs Trinket pondered for a moment before answering, "No, none that I can really remember…"

"Well, I had a man come by my stall last week, asking for directions on how to get to your house," said Lucia. "Curly brown hair, brown eyes, about a head taller than me… He looked pretty familiar. Might've seen him on TV before, or something like that."

Effie's eyes widened. _Haymitch?_

Mrs Trinket seemed to come to the same conclusion and asked curiously, "Haymitch? Haymitch Abernathy?"

Lucia snapped her fingers and said, "Yes, that's him! He came by, bought a bouquet of pink tulips and then asked me how to get to your house."

At this moment, Effie's heart was beating so quickly she felt like it was going to come out of her chest. Or come out of her throat.

Mrs Trinket smiled at Lucia and said, "Yes, Haymitch. A fine man. Look, Lucia, come by some time this week and catch up over a cup of tea. How does that sound?"

Lucia smiled broadly, accentuating the wrinkles on her face. "Absolutely, Eunice. See you soon! Nice seeing you, Effie."

As they were heading home, Mrs Trinket looked at Effie and said, "You never told me about your stay with Haymitch."

Effie gulped and cleared her throat. "It was great."

"What did you do?"

"Stuff."

Mrs Trinket sighed and said, "Effie, don't be difficult. What _really_ happened?"

Effie sighed. "It was absolutely amazing. The first two days, we were just having fun and… enjoying our time together. Then on the third day, the hour before I was scheduled to leave, I don't know how to say it… But I kind of told Haymitch that I was confused and didn't understand what was going on inside my head. I told him that I needed time to think."

Mrs Trinket smiled and said, "Elaborate, please. I'm stupid, remember?"

Effie laughed slightly. "Well… I just have these really weird sensations when I'm around Haymitch. I get this abnormal feeling when I just about _touch _him; I feel like there are bees and wasps buzzing in my stomach and I can never really think straight." She looked at her mother. "What is this feeling?"

Mrs Trinket chuckled softly. "I believe it's called love, dear."

Effie raised her eyebrows. "If it is, why is it so hard for me to just… Let it be?"

Mrs Trinket shrugged. "Probably because he's the first person you kissed, which means you now have an emotional attachment to him and then you feel afraid of the foreign feeling."

Effie nodded and stopped suddenly. "Wait, how do you know he was my first kiss?"

Mrs Trinket grinned. "I didn't. You just confirmed my suspicions."

Effie turned fifty shades of pink and red in a split second. "Oh," she said softly.

Mrs Trinket laughed. "It's alright, Effie. I won't tease you about it or anything. But I will say that it took you 8 years or more for you two to finally realize your feelings for each other."

"What do you mean?" asked Effie, confused. 8 years or more to realize the feelings she had for Haymitch? She was pretty certain she didn't have romantic feelings for Haymitch until a few years before.

"Your mother just knows these things, dear. Your eyes would always shine when you talked about him, even when you were complaining about how atrocious and annoying he was. Besides, you never said you didn't like him. You'd say he was horrible, mean and nasty, but you never actually said the words 'I hate Haymitch Abernathy'. You might've disliked him at first, but you had already developed a sense of a relationship with him without knowing it."

Effie took a few minutes to process what her mother just told her. Annoyingly enough, her mother was right. Effie honestly could not remember a time when she actually hated that man. She disliked him and would go crazy just being in the same room as him, but she didn't hate him.

Effie sighed as her mother unlocked the front door and stepped in.

"What should I do, Ma? I didn't know what I was saying really, and he kind of took it the wrong way," said Effie quietly. "He even kicked me out."

Mrs Trinket smiled sadly and gave her daughter a brief hug. "It's okay, dear. People do stupid things. Besides, if he really loves you, he'll forgive you. He'll let you come back."

Effie let a tear fall from her eyes as she hugged her mother once more.

"Me too, Ma," she whispered. "Me too."

xxx

"Haymitch, wake up."

Haymitch groaned and rolled over, facing down into his pillow. Peeta sighed heavily and walked to the bathroom, grabbed a small cup, filled it with ice-cold water and carried it to Haymitch's bedside.

"Haymitch."

When Peeta didn't get an answer, he sighed again and tipped the cup onto the back of Haymitch's head. He didn't even finish pouring the water before Haymitch started screaming. Satisfied, Peeta placed the cup down and laughed as he saw the death glare Haymitch was giving him.

"What?" said Peeta innocently as Haymitch stood up.

"Don't ever wake me up again. I swear living with Katniss has made you a horrible person," snarled Haymitch as he ran his hands through his soaked hair. He glanced at the bedside clock and rolled his eyes. "You better have a good reason for waking me up at 8 in the morning, Mellark."

"You've been indoors for the past 3 days, Haymitch," said Peeta gently. "You need to get out. You've been feeding your geese, right?"

Haymitch mumbled a barely audible yes as Peeta opened Haymitch's closet and threw him a dry shirt. Haymitch pulled off his damp shirt and put on the dry one on.

"What are you going to do today?" asked Peeta.

Haymitch scoffed. "I don't know, Mellark. Why don't you tell me? You've been doing a good job of waking me up so far, so I'd like to know what else you intend to do to me," said Haymitch sarcastically.

"We need more people helping refurnishing the houses," said Peeta, ignoring Haymitch's comment. "I could use some help. I left a loaf of bread downstairs on your table. I'll come by again in 10 minutes. Don't wear your best clothes." And with that, Peeta walked out the door.

Haymitch didn't move until he heard the front door slam shut. He looked down at his plain grey shirt and trousers and decided whether to change or not. _Maybe I should just wear a tie and suit, just to annoy him, _thought Haymitch. The thought of having to change into a collared shirt made him think otherwise, so he settled with his current clothes and went downstairs.

Peeta stayed true to his word and came at 8:10, not a second too early or late. By then, Haymitch had finished eating 4 slices of bread and a cup of black coffee.

"Ready?" asked Peeta.

Haymitch didn't bother answering as he got up from his seat and walked out the front door.

xxx

It was a good day. The sun was shining, the sky was clear and blue and the mockingjays were chirping happily. The only thing that wasn't in its positive mood was the one and only Haymitch Abernathy.

He huffed as he hammered a nail into the table.

For one thing, he was glad that he had something to do, something to distract him from thinking about the fight 3 days ago. Thinking about it always put Haymitch in a bad mood and there were moments when he was so close to opening a bottle of liquor to drink all the thoughts away. So close.

"Haymitch, the nail will go through the wood at the rate you're hammering."

Haymitch whirled around and saw Peeta with an amused grin. He looked back at the table leg and saw that Peeta was right. He sighed and flipped the table right side up and saw that one of the legs were slightly shorter than the other. He grunted in frustration and flipped the table again.

"Whoa, Haymitch, calm down," said Peeta as he pulled Haymitch away from the table. "Don't need to be so harsh."

Haymitch scowled. "Is it lunch break yet?"

Peeta nodded. "I came to get you. I made sandwiches."

Haymitch followed Peeta to the backyard of the house, where there was a small crowd of people sitting in a circle, eating sandwiches and having their own little conversations.

"You're going to make me sit with them?" asked Haymitch with an eyebrow raised.

"Don't worry, Haymitch. They're friendly. They don't bite," said Peeta with a smile as he handed Haymitch a sandwich.

People made space for both of them as they approached the circle. Peeta sat down and gestured for Haymitch to do the same. Haymitch sat down next to Peeta and smiled uncomfortably at the friendly faces around him.

"Everybody, this is Haymitch Abernathy," introduced Peeta. Haymitch silently thanked Peeta for not mentioning the 'Victor of the 2nd Quarter Quell' bit. "Why don't you guys introduce yourselves to him?"

The middle-aged woman next to Peeta smiled at me and said, "Kira. I'm from Eleven."

Haymitch smiled and nodded. "Nice to meet you." He did the same for the next 6 people: Jana, Lira, Dean, Seth, Dion and Kai. The rest of them were people he recognized: Delly, Thom, Bristel and Lear, the guy whom was in charge of the mines back then.

They were all warm and kind to Haymitch and he didn't realize how much he missed having human company. It was one of the most enjoyable meals he'd had in… 3 days.

At the end of lunch break, Peeta helped Haymitch mend the table and soon enough, they had the whole house fixed up and cleaned. By the time they packed up and finished everything, the sun was setting and the others had already left for home. Peeta and Haymitch were the only ones left. They stood outside the house and admired their hard work. The windows were polished, the door was shining clean and even the walls outside were scrubbed.

"I think we did a good job, Haymitch," said Peeta proudly. Haymitch nodded in agreement. "Maybe you could ask Effie if she'd like to stay here."

He froze at the mention of her name.

_Effie. _

"Haymitch?"

He shook his head and mentally kicked himself for thinking about her. "Sorry," mumbled Haymitch. "I should be heading home now." He turned around quickly and started walking.

"Haymitch."

He was surprised at the firmness of Peeta's voice. He stopped in his tracks, but did not turn around to face blonde boy.

"What happened between you and Effie?"

Haymitch would not stoop so low and tell an 18 year old his personal problems. Besides, Peeta had enough on his plate. He reckoned that it must be pretty complicated living with the _fearsome_ Katniss Everdeen. "Nothing."

Peeta stood in front of Haymitch and said in a stern voice, "Haymitch, I'm not stupid. What happened?"

Haymitch scowled and said, "Leave me alone, Peeta. I can deal with my problems on my own. I don't need your baker help."

"You just admitted you had a problem," said Peeta matter-of-factly. "Which means, something _did _happen between you and Effie. Besides, you didn't deny it."

Haymitch sighed in exasperation. "What the hell do you want, Mellark? Do you need help fixing your oven? Or did you do something wrong and Katniss kicked you out of the house?"

Peeta rolled his eyes. "Haymitch, it's normal for a person to be concerned-"

"Concerned, my foot," interrupted Haymitch. "There's a difference between being concerned and nosy, Peeta, and right now, you're more nosy than you are concerned. Please go away and let me walk home in peace."

"No," said Peeta stubbornly. "I'm not going to stop pestering you until you tell me what happened, Haymitch."

"Peeta-"

"Let me guess," interrupted Peeta. "She said something about her feelings being too strong and her not being able to handle them. She also said that she needed time to think. She also tried apologizing but then you closed the door on her."

Haymitch raised his eyebrows in surprise. "How and why do you know?"

Peeta shrugged. "It happened to me more than I'd like it to."

"Then what do you do? Do you tell her that she's being unreasonable and just leave her? Forget about her? What do you do?" asked Haymitch in frustration. He gave up on keeping it from Peeta. Besides, Peeta already knew what kind of situation he was in. No point hiding anymore.

"First, you need to calm down," said Peeta. "Come on, let's walk while talking."

He obliged reluctantly. Haymitch almost punched himself for taking orders from Peeta. It should be the other way around.

"Katniss did that the first few times I started staying over. At first, I'd get so frustrated that I'd stomp our her house and not talk to her for the next few days and then I'd forgive her. Then it'd happen again, and again. It happened at least 5 times. Then at the sixth time, I gave up. I told her, 'Katniss, if you're just going to keep dropping me and picking me up like I'm some kind of reusable thing, you can just forget about us ever being together.' I also told her that I'd give her time to think. For 2 days, I didn't talk to her, I didn't see her and I didn't go to her house. It was hard, but it had to be done. I wanted _Katniss _to choose what she wants this time, and not me to be the one running back to her. After the 2 days, she came to my house and apologized. From then on, it didn't happen again. Life wasn't perfect, but she didn't ever recite that speech again."

Throughout the whole time, Haymitch was listening intently. It was amazing how much Peeta had to go through. He was willing to go through hell and back for Katniss. Would he do the same for Effie?

When he looked up, he had reached his front door. He turned to Peeta and smiled slightly.

"Thanks. I think I needed that," said Haymitch slowly.

Peeta smiled. "Remember, Haymitch," said Peeta softly. "If you love something, let it go. If it doesn't come back, move on. If it does… It's yours to keep forever."

Haymitch stayed silent for a long time. He heard everything that Peeta just said to him echoing in his head and bouncing off the walls in his mind.

Peeta's smiled softly and said, "Sometimes you have to let go."

Haymitch looked up at him and Peeta swore he never saw him so solemn and with so much sorrow in his eyes.

"But sometimes," whispered, tears brimming in his eyes. "It hurts too much to let go."

**I now have the inspiration and ideas to write this story, so expect the next chapter soon :D**

**The alerts for this story is almost over the amount I have for The Spark, so that's pretty exciting :P**

**Reviews please?**


	10. Chapter 10: Just Say Yes

**Summary of last chapter: Effie has the chat with her mum, Haymitch has a man-to-man talk with Peeta and that's where it ended.**

**Note: All the POVs are written in **_**narrative**_**.**

**Haymitch's POV **

Haymitch had just lied down on his couch to rest before he heard the door swing open, followed by heavy steps. He groaned when he saw who it was.

"Damn it, Peeta! Let the man have a nap before barging in," grumbled Haymitch as he slumped on the sofa. "You better have a good reason for coming."

Peeta grinned as he set a loaf of bread on his table and sat down next to Haymitch. "No, I just felt like dropping by to say hi." His smile broadened when Haymitch gave him a death glare. "Sorry, _Mitchell, _but it's pretty important," said Peeta with a cheeky grin.

Haymitch _hated _nicknames. He _abhorred _them. People always seemed to come up with one horrible nickname after another: Hay, Mitch, 'Aymitch, Mitchell… He thought the name Haymitch was just fine; it didn't need to be shortened or lengthened.

So when Peeta learned of his pet peeve, he made sure to call him a nickname whenever he got the chance to. It annoyed Haymitch to no end.

"Stop with the nicknames," growled Haymitch. "Otherwise you'll be walking home with a bruised brain and ego. You probably won't even be _walking _by the time I'm done with you."

Peeta smirked. "You wouldn't do that. You love me too much," said Peeta with an innocent look.

"Don't count on it, Bread Boy. I'm sure Katniss and I wouldn't miss you too much."

Peeta chucked. "Anyway, I didn't come here to banter with you. I've come to ask you for a favour."

Haymitch rolled his eyes. "What makes you think I'll do it? Especially after all the name calling?"

"Like I said, you love me too much."

Before Haymitch could retort back, Peeta said, "I'm going to ask for Katniss's hand in marriage."

Haymitch knew that they were going to get married sooner or later, but he didn't expect it to be _so _soon. After all, it had only been 5 months since he returned. He thought that Peeta would maybe wait 3 years, knowing how 'patient' he was.

"How does this involve me?"

"I want to propose to her on the night of the Spring Festival."

The Spring Festival was an annual event that was a District 12 tradition. Even after the war, District 12 still decided to keep the tradition going. It was just an even where everybody gathered together around a huge bonfire, sang songs and watched the fireworks. During the afternoon, there would be booths set up for games and food stalls where people sold homemade specials. It was something everyone looked forward to, where miners had a day off, children didn't have to go to school and everybody would have fun and relax. The Spring Festival was to happen in 3 days.

"Still don't get how this involves me."

"I want to make this Spring Festival the best one everybody had and will ever have. The most special day of the year, something they will always remember. And to do that, I need your help."

"For Pete's sake, Peeta, just get to the point!" exclaimed Haymitch exasperatedly.

"I have this idea in mind… Basically, you know the fairy lights that stream across the Justice Building during New Year's Eve…"

The day of the Spring Festival arrived.

It was a beautiful day, the sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly. He walked out into his backyard and breathed in the fresh air, feeling momentarily at peace. His geese were still asleep, so he inhaled deeply and exhaled with a content sigh.

His moment was temporarily interrupted when he heard footsteps nearing him.

"I swear you're ruining every peaceful moment I have on purpose," groused Haymitch.

Peeta murmured a hello and shrugged. "Just left you a loaf of bread on the kitchen counter, that's all."

Haymitch raised his eyebrows. He noticed that Peeta left out a nickname and a chuckle after greeting him.

"Something wrong?"

Peeta's shoulders sagged. "Nervous, that's all."

"Ah."

Haymitch didn't really know what to say, so they just stood there in silence, with the mockingjays singing in the distance. After about a minute or so, Haymitch cleared his throat and said, "Well, um, I think we should go to the Hob now. I think lunch will be ready by the time we get there."

Peeta nodded soberly and headed out his backyard.

"25 cents, please, Mr Abernathy."

Haymitch took the coins out of his pocket and handed it to the smiling lady. She thanked him and handed him the caramel-coated apple.

"Enjoy!"

Haymitch nodded his head and walked away from the stall with the caramel apple in his mouth. Haymitch always had a sweet tooth, and he thoroughly enjoyed the sweet tang of caramel in his mouth with the juicy apple.

He walked around the Hob. After he came back from Thirteen, everybody got together to not only rebuild houses, but also the Hob. Everybody had pitched in, even the women and little children. With so many people eager to help, the Hob was rebuilt in no time. Some reopened their shops while some new shops were opened. It was quite nice seeing the place again.

As soon as he finished his caramel apple, he noticed an old woman standing behind a stall selling some kind of drink. When he looked closely, he saw it was Ripper. He raised his eyebrows and walked toward stall. Instead of selling liquor like she did for the past 20 years, she was selling freshly squeezed juice.

Haymitch chuckled as he greeted her. "I see you've changed your ways," said Haymitch, gesturing to the fruit juices.

Ripper laughed. "Yes, I've changed for the better, if that's what you'd say."

They blathered on for a bit before he moved on. The whole square was buzzing with children running around and the loud chatter of cheery adults. He felt quite lonely, squeezing through the groups and clumps of people, but he didn't let that get to him. Besides, he was here to have fun. At least, that was what he told himself. He tried to convince himself that he was, in fact, having fun, but you can't really have fun alone knowing you'd enjoy yourself much more if you had someone beside you.

He had spent the day wandering around the crowd of people, stopping occasionally to greet someone or talk. He even played some of the games and won a prize. It was a small toy elephant. He knew it was meant for a kid, but he didn't think that it would hurt to just keep a little soft toy with him.

He mostly went around buying food and trying out all the samples. He had a hard time keeping away from the liquor stall, so he just occupied himself by buying 5 jelly-filled donuts.

Before he knew it, the sun went down and the moon came up. It was a full moon that night. The bonfire was lit up in the center of the square and people were gathered around it, talking quietly. Some were roasting marshmallows.

But before he could sit down with the others, he felt someone yank him aside. He sighed when he realized it was Peeta.

"I swear you're doing this on purpose."

Peeta shook his head seriously. "Look, it's almost time."

Haymitch rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever you say, _Bread Boy_."

He sighed as he walked towards the Justice Building and headed in the empty building, silently hoping that everything will go as planned.

**Peeta's POV **

He wiped his hands nervously on his pants as he walked over to Katniss. She was sitting on a blanket, staring at the bonfire with a peaceful look. The flames reflected in her eyes as if they were dancing and her features illuminated with a soft glow.

Until this day, he still had no idea how lucky he was to have the girl of his dreams even have a decent conversation with him, let alone have a relationship with.

He sat down next to her and smiled as her back leaned against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her abdomen and rested his chin on her head.

There was an elderly man next them, softly strumming his guitar and humming a song that he didn't know the name to. But it was so peaceful,

Now all he had to do, was wait.

**Haymitch's POV**

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

Haymitch fumbled around the room, trying to find the key to the breaker box. _(A/N: that box thing where all the switches are)_

"Where are the damn keys?"

He opened every drawer and cupboard, checked the same spots hundreds of time, but still failed to find the key.

"I swear I put it right here…"

When he finally checked by the dusty rug by the doorstep did he find the key. He cursed under his breath and hurried over to the breaker box. He flicked all the switches at a mad pace and when he heard the soft whirr of the machines working, he sighed in relief and leaned against the wall.

"Hope it wasn't too late…"

**Peeta's POV**

_(a few minutes before…)_

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please."

Everybody's heads turned to the centre of the square, where Thom was standing in front of the bonfire.

"As mayor of District 12," he started, "I'd like to thank you all for putting up such an amazing festival. It's so great to see everybody come together to do this. It feels just like the old times."

Everybody smiled and him. He was elected mayor a few weeks before and was doing a great job so far.

"Now before I bore you guys to death, I think Peeta Mellark would like to say a few words."

Katniss shot him a confused look as he got up from the blanket and walked over to where Thom was standing. Thom patted him on the back, grinned knowingly at him and sat down with his wife, Delly.

"As Thom has just said, I'm Peeta Mellark."

That could've gone unsaid, but Peeta was not one to go along with a speech without his manners.

"You might be wondering why I'm up here. You might think that I'm going to make some big speech about something I did, because I know a lot of you are thinking. I know I would be if I were in your shoes."

Nobody had any idea what he was going on about. Except for Haymitch. Thom, maybe. But other than that, everybody was clueless as to what he was talking about.

"I'm here today, to celebrate. To not just celebrate our gathering, but also celebrate something that is incredibly close to my heart."

He pauses. "Today was the day of my parent's anniversary."

The only sound that was heard was the crackling of the bonfire.

"If you were here in District 12 before, you'd know that my parents weren't a very happy couple. In fact, they were probably the unhappiest couple here. My mother was cruel, wicked and harsh in every way, whereas my father was gentle, calm and loving. They were polar opposites."

"It was an arranged marriage. They weren't very happy with each other. But if they didn't… do what they had did 35 years ago, I wouldn't be here. Which means, I wouldn't have met Katniss."

"As cheesy as this might sound, Katniss is everything to me. I wouldn't be here without her. I wouldn't be living without her. I know I'm probably boring your eyes out by now, but please just hear me out."

He turned to Katniss and looked at her shocked face. He hoped she wouldn't be too mad at him for doing this.

He walked up to her and got down on one knees. Everybody gasped, knowing already what he was going to do.

"Katniss, you are beautiful. You are kind, you are gentle, you are everything a man can possibly ask for. I know I tell you this almost everyday, but I just want you to know that I really do mean it. Life has been hard for us and you have no idea how grateful I am for you. You are my family now."

He took a deep breath and took a small velvet box out of his pocket. Katniss's eyes widened as she saw it and she looked at him with a startled look.

"So, Katniss…"

And it went dark.

The lights from the houses were all turned off and the only light that was shining was from the bonfire. Before anyone could scream or run away, the lights turned back on.

And everyone looked at the bright fairy lights hanging on the Justice Building.

_Will you marry me?_

It was amazing how nobody noticed the lights strung out during the day, and if they did, they didn't mention it.

Katniss stood, agape and looked at Peeta.

"Well?" asked Peeta softly.

"I… I…"

Nobody could miss the hurt look in his eyes as he said, "Oh, okay, I'll just-"

He was interrupted when Katniss crashed her lips on his. It took him a while to register the fact that she was kissing him, but his mind worked quickly and he wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss.

He broke the kiss and looked at her in the eye. "You still haven't given me an answer, though."

"Just say yes already!"

"Come on, darling! The poor boy's dying!"

The crowd yelled encouragingly and almost missed her answer.

"Yes," she whispered.

Peeta grinned as he said. "I don't think they heard you."

"Yes," Katniss shouted with a smile so wide it looked like her cheeks were going to tear.

Peeta jumped up and swung her around in his arms. Everybody cheered and were on their feet, applauding them.

"Alright, alright, break it apart."

Everybody turned to the man who had just walked in their happy moment.

He tried to look innocent as he said, "What? It's late and I want to get home since _somebody_ kept stopping me from taking my naps."

Peeta shook his head and said, "You know what, Haymitch? I'm too happy to even get mad at you right now. Goodnight, Haymitch. See you in the morning."

Haymitch grumbled as he walked away, leaving the loud sounds of clapping and shouts of congratulations to Katniss and Peeta.

When he got home, he collapsed on his couch and sighed.

He felt bad. He felt that he should've been happier, or at least _appeared_ happier for the couple. He couldn't get out of his head the look of joy on both Katniss and Peeta's faces when he saw them. He could've at least said 'congratulations' or 'great job, Mellark' but no, he just had to ruin it by breaking their moment.

_Maybe that's why she didn't like you._

Haymitch groaned at the voice in his head.

_Now's not the time to think about Effie_, he thought grimly. _I don't need her to make me happy. I'll be fine on my own. Besides, the least you could do right now is organize Katniss and Peeta's wedding. _

But he couldn't stop himself from thinking about what she was doing now. Was she thinking about him, or had she already moved on? Did she already find someone else to spend her time with? Probably. He would be lying if he said that she wasn't beautiful. Or maybe she was with her mother, having their mother-daughter time together. At least, that was what Haymitch hoped she was doing

_You know you don't give a damn about what she's doing right now, 'cos you know damn well she doesn't._

**Firstly, I've been REALLY busy lately with performances, rehearsals, homework, exams… And also I was planning on posting this chapter yesterday but I had my birthday sleepover :P**

**I looked at my A/N last chapter and I said "Expect the next chapter soon" and apparently my 'soon' meant 'expect a crappy chapter after 3 months' (I didn't proof read this) wow I just. I'M SORRY :( Plus I hate cheesy stuff and this is probably the cheesiest thing I've ever written in my entire life.**

**I don't want to promise anything, so I won't say anything about the next update, but I am definitely open to suggestions or criticism for the next chapter so don't hesitate to review (:**


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